Teaching sentence structure
Nephew 1 (3.5y) had an appointment with his speechie today. Apparently he's currently at the level his 2y brother should be at - which means both of them are behind, speechwise. Nephew 1 is also being tested for Autism, but at the moment we're not sure what is communication problems and what is something else ITMS.
The main issue is that neither of them use full sentences. This is our fault, we know what they want when they use their one word demands, so we get it, rather than getting them to say the full sentence. And TBH, even when we do push it, I'm not sure how much the older one is understanding, because he just parrots. For example, I gave them each a bowl of fruit salad today, and neither of them said thank you, So I prompted them by saying 'Say thank you, boys' - the little one said thank you, and the older one said thank you boys. Parroting, not comprehending.
Any suggestions?