Helping kids with autism develop their communication skills is the goal
Some of the early signs and symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in a child have to do with communication.
Children with autism may not understand or use gestures, like pointing or waving. They may be hard to understand or not verbal at all. They may repeat words or phrases they’ve just heard or have a robotic speaking voice. They may even use challenging behaviors instead of words or gestures to communicate what they want.
As you can imagine, not being able to communicate effectively can lead to other challenges that affect a child’s ability to learn, develop, and function in everyday life.
This is where speech therapy can help.
If your child is diagnosed with autism, your doctor may recommend speech therapy in conjunction with other complementary interventions like ABA therapy, which you can learn more about in Part 2 of our Treating Autism series.
This article, Part 3, is an introduction to speech therapy and how it can help your child with autism improve their verbal, nonverbal, and social communication skills, so they can better express their wants and needs and interact in meaningful ways with others.
Common goals of speech therapy
All children with autism have unique needs, so the goals of speech therapy can vary from child to child. In general, the common goals of speech therapy can be grouped into three areas: Improving spoken language, learning nonverbal skills, and learning social communication. Here’s more on each area:
- Improving spoken language can range from helping a child strengthen the muscles in their mouth, jaw and neck to produce sounds and sound patterns better to helping them improve the rate and rhythm of their speech, use better grammar, and overcome the tendency to repeat words and sounds.
- Learning nonverbal skills can start with helping a child develop pre-linguistic skills, like making eye contact, gestures, and other vocalizations and continue onto helping them learn subtle social cues in body language as well as using augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), such as gestures, picture cards, sign language, and electronic devices to communicate without speaking.
- Learning social skills helps children with autism communicate in different settings and for different reasons. For example, speech therapy can help children learn how to communicate depending on who the listener is and follow social rules, like taking turns, staying on topic, and standing at a comfortable distance from the person they’re talking to.
What happens in speech therapy
Speech therapy can look different for every child, because it’s based on a child’s unique needs. In general, it can be one-on-one, with one speech-language pathologist (SLP) therapist working with one child, or it can be multiple children in a group setting.
During speech therapy, children learn through a variety of activities, including:
- Exercises to improve fine motor skills and coordination
- Games that work on language development and vocabulary usage
- Stimulating a child’s senses, such as touch, taste, smell, and sight
- Role-playing exercises to help children understand social cues and responses
- Using devices like picture boards or tablets to communicate through technology
ABA therapy and speech therapy are similar in that they are both used to treat speech and language concerns in children with autism. They also both start with an evaluation of a child’s strengths and challenges that are used to create an individualized therapy plan.
The two therapies differ in how frequent a child receives therapy. Speech therapy is typically two to three times a week for 30 or 40 minutes each session. ABA therapy is more intensive with children receiving therapy for several hours per week.
If your child is enrolled in ABA therapy and receiving speech therapy at the same time, ensure your chosen providers are aware of each other so they can align your child’s therapy and goals for the best outcomes.
Finding a qualified speech therapist
A great place to start is the accrediting body for both audiologists and SLPs, the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association or ASHA.org. On the website, you can search for a provider via your ZIP code or address.
Be sure to search for a SLP rather than an audiologist, who focuses solely on issues of hearing and balance. SLPs provide expertise in a variety of areas concerning communication and swallowing.
Speech therapy services are often covered by health insurance plans when a doctor has stated the therapy is medically necessary.
Learning communication and language skills is vital for almost every child diagnosed with autism. Speech therapy can help.
If you have any questions about autism treatments, please speak up! You are your child’s best advocate, and our experts at The Behavior Exchange are ready to help ensure you’re successful.
We hope you found this article useful. Tune in next week for the final installment of our series exploring the top 4 autism treatments.
