About Me

I have unknowingly been on a journey to help children with special needs learn how to communicate and learn through play since I was a toddler. It sounds crazy, but it is true! My younger brother (seen pictured at right with me as child) was born with Down Syndrome and right away I was smitten - how could I not, he was adorable! Unfortunately, he was also medically complex, and needed many medical interventions immediately following birth. Once medically stable, he began early intervention services in our home. His wonderful, caring and creative teachers, PTs, OTs and speech therapists would often include me (I was 3-years-old at the time) in his therapy sessions to help make them fun and engaging for both of us. Without realizing it, I would inadvertently reinforce his learning goals throughout the week by playing the same games the therapists introduced because he and I enjoyed them. Children with Down Syndrome typically have delayed verbal language skills, and so my whole family learned to use sign language so that he could communicate his needs with us. Learning basic signs helped him to avoid frustration and be able to play with others and participate in conversations. I even remember bringing my brother and his sign language dictionary with me to school for ‘show and tell’ in first grade to teach everyone a few signs and to explain how he communicated differently with us. These experiences showed me first-hand the importance of giving children the power to communicate effectively, and the many different ways that children can learn.

With these positive life experiences, and an interest in working with children, I went on to volunteer and work at camps for children with special needs, and eventually graduate Cornell University with a degree in Human Development (specializing in Elementary Education), and the University of Virginia with a Master’s in Speech-Language Pathology.

In my over 15 year career as a speech-language pathologist, I worked with many children with limited language, developmental delays, and autism. In particular, I worked with many young children who struggled to participate in new life experiences, such as getting a haircut, or going to the doctor. Knowing the importance of communication and play for children to be able to make sense of their world, I began to search for and collect books and toys that I could provide for my clients (and my own children!) to help them prepare in advance for new activities. I also saw first-hand how sometimes when a child cannot communicate, they use a variety of “behaviors” to try and tell you that something is wrong. By helping families break down new experiences, we were often able to discover the issues that were upsetting to the child, and then make modifications or teach new skills to reduce “behaviors.”

This website is the resource that puts all of the different parts of my life journey together. Using my background as a speech-language pathologist, a mom of two young children, and the sister of a child (now adult!) who learned differently and at a different pace, I have created ICDTtools.com as a one-stop shop of resources for caregivers. Currently, there are step-by-step guides, and links to books, toys, videos, and other online resources that can help children prepare for new experiences. For some topics, I struggled to find the exact resource that I envisioned - so, I started to create my own materials. There are custom videos, books, and dolls that are in production that will be added to the website soon!

I hope that ICDTtools.com helps you find a resource that will resonate with your child and help them try something new!

- Elyse Mandart, M.Ed., CCC-SLP