๐ง Dr. Kondekar’s Goal-Directed Cognitive Approach: Building Vocabulary for Children with Autism & Learning Issues
๐ Step 1: Readiness — Eye Contact & Connection
- When the child starts looking at you, he is ready to listen.
- Begin with eye-to-eye interactions and familiar faces — “Mama,” “Papa,” “Baby,” or their names.
- Teach what the child connects with first — living beings and family members.
- Then move to:
- Moving things (easy to notice)
- Big and visible things
- Daily objects (near the child’s surroundings)
- Close-distance objects first, then distant ones
The first vocabulary must come from the child’s world — what he sees, touches, and feels daily.
๐ Step 2: Vocabulary Notebook — Building the Base
Make a 100-page notebook divided into 4 columns:
| Word | Knows | Shows/Points | Says |
|---|
- Dedicate 6 pages per room: kitchen, hall, bedroom, bathroom, etc.
- Cover visible and useful objects.
- Around 500–600 words will form the child’s primary syllabus of “visible/sight words.”
Focus on words the child can see and use daily.
๐ Step 3: Verbs — Learning Actions
Once the child knows around 1000 object words, he’s ready for action words (verbs).
- Prepare a list of 100 action words (e.g., run, eat, sleep, clap, open, close).
- Teach 3 new verbs per day — goal: 100 verbs in 2 months.
- As verbs are understood, the child begins to follow commands and understand short sentences.
“Action” gives meaning to “objects” — verbs make words come alive.
๐จ Step 4: Adjectives — Describing the World
Next, introduce adjectives — describing words.
Start from visible concepts and easy contrasts:
| Early Adjectives | Later Adjectives |
|---|---|
| Small / Big | Right / Left |
| Short / Tall | Hot / Cold |
| One / Many | Hard / Soft |
| Good / Bad | Heavy / Light |
Teach by showing real-life contrasts, not just naming.
๐ Step 5: Story Listening — Connecting Words to Logic
When your child understands 3-word sentences, begin connected storytelling.
- 5 short 10-line stories daily — mix of “show and tell” and action-based stories.
- Encourage listening, pointing, and retelling in parts.
- Story listening builds the foundation for:
- Comprehension
- Concept understanding
- Logical thinking
- Conversational skills
Stories are the bridge from words to understanding and understanding to reasoning.
๐ก Summary Flow
- ๐️ Eye contact → readiness
- ๐ Familiar nouns (people & objects) → ~1000 words
- ๐ Verbs → ~100 action words
- ๐จ Adjectives → describing & comparing
- ๐ Stories → comprehension, logic, and conversation
“Vocabulary growth is not just word learning — it’s concept learning.”
— Dr. Santosh Kondekar, Aakaar Clinic for Autism, Byculla,
Dr. Kondekar’s Goal-Directed Vocabulary Growth Plan
| Stage | Focus | Goal | Tools |
|---|---|---|---|
| ๐️ 1 | Eye Contact & Familiar Faces | Child ready to listen | Start with Mama, Papa, Baby |
| ๐ 2 | Visible Objects | 1000 words | 4-column notebook (Word–Knows–Shows–Says) |
| ๐ 3 | Action Words | 100 verbs | 3 verbs/day, 2 months goal |
| ๐จ 4 | Adjectives | Describing visible contrasts | Big/small, short/tall, right/left |
| ๐ 5 | Story Listening | Build comprehension & logic | 5 stories/day, 10 lines each |
➡️ “Teach what the child sees, hears, and does — not what he guesses.”
๐ Aakaar Clinic for Autism, Byculla, Mumbai
๐ www.autismdoctor.in
๐ 9869405747
