Clinic is all about 'talking, talking'

06/22/06
by bob allen

For the most part, the young autistic children involved in weekday sessions at the clinic of Trellis Services in Cockeysville seem quite happy even though, for the most part, they are silent.

"We have some 4- and 5-year-olds who don't have words, or they have words but they are not meaningful," said Kathy Niager, Trellis Services' owner and director.

"Often when they first come in, they are very disengaged. They don't want to play with people," said Niager, a psychologist specializing in developmental disorders who lives in Cockeysville.

The instructors at Trellis work one-on-one with the children, who range in age from 2 to 6. Activities include reading stories to the children, playing with them on the playground or engaging them in play with action figures, toy trucks and cars, board games, water colors, musical instruments, bells, brightly colored balloons and other objects meant to stimulate their sensory perception and spark their incipient verbal skills.

For information, resources and practical strategies on autism visit:
www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com

www.AutismConcepts.com