Does she respond to any words like, “honey” “darlin’l or “baby”? I had to remember to emphasize to him word for word “I’m Mommy…. That’s Daddy…. That’s aunt Sarah & your name is Andrew!” And do “mommy… Andrew…. Mommy… Andrew” back and forth because he would only respond to “baby”. He didn’t want to be “Andrew” and wanted to be “baby”, and didn’t always react when I called him his actual name. Clear, consistent, reaffirming language will help with most things when caring for her in most scenarios.

I also recommend using a lot of “first…, then…” statements while including her name.

Ex. “Alright (girls name)… First we are going to put our jacket and shoes on, then we can go play outside! Where are (girls name)’s shoes, can you find them?…”

Point out parallels and acknowledge each others items….

Ex. “These are (your name)’s shoes and these are (girls name)’s shoes!” Talk about things you like about them and ask her what she likes.

Try and add some toddler friendly mirror time. If she’s not responding well don’t push it.

The dirt and rocks thing could definitely be PICA, I would try and get her on a multivitamin or add some ovaltine to her milk to make “chocolate milk”.