7 Sept 2026
How to Introduce Social Games to Autistic Toddlers and Preschoolers Who Aren't Talking | Laura Mize
In this special 2-hour episode of The NEW Autism Podcast Series, pediatric speech-language pathologist Laura Mize, M.S., CCC-SLP, takes a deep dive into Focus Area 2: Introduce Social Games from The NEW Autism Workbook.Social games are simple, repetitive, people-based routines designed to build connection and shared enjoyment between a child and another person. They don’t require elaborate toys, complicated instructions, or demands for a child to participate. Instead, we use the things a child already enjoys including movement, music, physical closeness, anticipation, repetition, and special interests to make interaction with another person rewarding.Laura explains how to choose social games based on an individual child’s strengths, interests, sensory preferences, and regulation needs, rather than expecting every child to enjoy the same activities. You’ll learn how to begin with just one or two highly engaging routines and gradually build a repertoire of social games a child knows, anticipates, and enjoys. Laura also explains how to extend these interactions over time so you’re not just getting a fleeting smile or a few seconds of participation—you’re building longer, richer periods of connection and engagement.Throughout the episode, Laura shares practical examples of different kinds of social games and explains how familiar routines, songs, movement, anticipation, and repetition can become powerful tools for strengthening interaction. Most importantly, the goal is shared enjoyment.. think connection over compliance and invitation over pressure. When a child genuinely enjoys interacting with us, we have a foundation for building shared attention, turn taking, imitation, language, and communication.BONUS: Watch Real Therapy Clips!Who This is For?This episode is designed for speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, developmental therapists, early intervention professionals, educators, and parents who want practical, strengths-based ways to support autistic toddlers and preschoolers.CHART LINK: https://teachmetotalk.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-NEW-Autism-Workbook-Worksheet.pdf Handouts mentioned in this podcast are included with purchase of CE credit for therapists Therapists - Earn 2 hours/.2 ASHA CEUs for $20Parents pdf - $5 includes the show notesCEU LINK HERE: Ready to Go Deeper?If you want a step-by-step system to apply this framework in real life with autistic kids, check out: https://teachmetotalk.com/strengths-based-autism-course-toddlers/Here's my newly updated therapy manual I mentioned The NEW Autism Workbook. Get info here: https://teachmetotalk.com/new-autism-workbook/Have a question for Laura and Macy?Email laura@teachmetotalk.com or macy@teachmetotalk.com with the subject line PODCASTJoin Laura’s daily email for free therapy ideas: (near 50K subscribers!!)https://teachmetotalk.com/Therapy Manuals from teachmetotalk.comThe Late Talker Workbook https://teachmetotalk.com/the-late-ta...The NEW Autism Workbook https://teachmetotalk.com/new-autism-workbook/Let's Talk About Talking UPDATED https://teachmetotalk.com/product/let...Teach Me To Talk The Therapy Manual https://teachmetotalk.com/product/tea...Building Verbal Imitation Skills in Toddlers https://teachmetotalk.com/product/bui...Teach Me To Play WITH You https://teachmetotalk.com/product/tea...FUNctional Phonology https://teachmetotalk.com/product/fun...Apraxia Workbooks 1 & 2 https://teachmetotalk.com/product/the...Shop Our Favorite Speech Therapy Toys:https://www.amazon.com/shop/teachmetotalkAmazon affiliates earn *teeny tiny* commissions from purchases. It's still a great way to support our work!**
