Motivation is the key to success!

Without the child’s motivation, you can’t go very far.

Have you ever encountered any of these issues during your client sessions? The child wanders aimlessly around the room and can’t “land on” an item or engage in an activity…The child leaves the activity when you approach or try to join in…The child moves quickly between activities in an effort to avoid instructions…If so, this course is for you. Research on early language learning tells us that young children learn more readily if adults and others join in on what the child is attending to rather than trying to redirect them to new activities. You can do this by watching and listening to the child’s activity, narrating what the child is doing, offering assistance, and imitating what they are doing. This course is designed to teach you strategies to follow the child’s lead (aka motivation) and to promote social engagement and communication skills during your teaching interactions by using child-selected and highly-preferred activities. Following a child’s lead involves promoting the child’s participation in activities based on his or her interests, supporting the child’s actions and interactions with materials and people during the activities, and supporting the child’s choices when he or she wants to change the focus of interest.

Continuing Education Details

1 CEU (learning) for Professional Development

The NDBI Navigator is an approved continuing education provider for the BACB, QABA, and IBAO. If you do not need continuing education credits, you will still receive a certificate of completion upon successful completion of the course to submit to your license and/or regulatory board.

What You'll Learn

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

  • Identify and follow the child’s lead to build rapport and engagement

  • Observe and expand the child’s interests

  • List the three forms of following the child’s lead

  • Identify various troubleshooting strategies for this strategy

Course Curriculum

  1. 1
    • Course Overview

    • About Your Instructor

    • Course Overview & Learning Objectives

    • Course Completion Requirements

    • Instructions for CEUs

  2. 2
    • Lesson 1: Using Child-Selected, Highly Preferred Items, and Activities

    • Using Child-Selected Materials Research Studies

    • Let the Child Take the Lead teaching Tips

    • Follow the Child's Lead Troubleshooting Worksheet

    • Follow the Child's Lead Troubleshooting Worksheet_Examples

    • Lesson 2: Putting it all Together

  3. 3
    • Course Completion Quiz

    • Complete The Course Review

    • Access Your Certificate

    • Share Your Experience

Feedback From Our Learners

Discover what professionals are saying about our courses! Hear how the tools, strategies, and insights have enhanced their skills, boosted their confidence, and helped them make a meaningful impact in their work with children with autism.