Speech therapy: Unlocking language in kids with autism

Every child starts developing language from the day they are born. This happens through their relationships and play with other people. However,  it’s harder for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to learn and use language than it is for typically developing children. This is because children with ASD tend to show less interest in other people in the first 12 months of life. They’re more focused on things going on around them. Because they don’t need or want to communicate with other people as much as typically developing children do, they don’t get as many chances to develop their language skills.

For example, a four-month-old baby who’s distracted by a ceiling fan is less likely to tune into a smiling and tickling game with her parents. At ten months, if she still isn’t tuning into her parents, she’s less likely to point at things she wants to share with them. She’s less likely to listen to her parents as they name things around her. This means she misses these chances to build her vocabulary.

How Speech therapy help unlock langauge in preschoolers

Speech-language therapy addresses challenges with language and communication. It can help people with autism improve their verbal, nonverbal, and social communication. The overall goal is to help the person communicate in more useful and functional ways.
Communication and speech-related challenges vary from person to person. Some individuals on the autism spectrum are not able to speak. Others love to talk, but have difficulty holding a conversation or understanding body language and facial expressions when talking with others. A speech therapy program begins with an evaluation by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) to assess the person’s communication strengths and challenges. From this evaluation, the SLP creates individual goals for therapy.
Common goals may include: improving spoken language, learning nonverbal skills such as signs or gestures, or learning to communicate using an alternative method (such as pictures or technology).

Examples of the skills that speech therapy may work on include:

•Strengthening the muscles in the mouth, jaw and neck

•Making clearer speech sounds

•Matching emotions with the correct facial expression

•Understanding body language

•Responding to questions

•Matching a picture with its meaning

•Using a speech app on an iPad to produce the correct word

•Modulating tone of voice

•Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC)

Some people with autism find that using pictures or technology to communicate is more effective than speaking. This is known as Alternative Augmentative Communication (AAC). Examples of AAC methods include:
•Sign language
•Picture exchange communication system (PECS)
•iPads
•Speech output devices (such as Dynavox)

The speech-language pathologist can help to identify which AAC method (if any) is right for someone with autism and teach him/her how to use the method to communicate.

Supporting language development for children with ASD

Creating reasons to use language
If your child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a reason to use language, he’s more likely to try. You can create reasons for your child to use language as part of your everyday activities together. For example, you could put her favourite toy out of reach so she needs to ask for it. Or you could take turns opening picture book flaps and talking about or showing each other what you’ve found. You can gradually make it harder, as your child learns. For example, you could start with your child just saying ‘toy’ when he wants you to give him his toy and moving on to saying ‘toy please’.

Preschool Speech Therapy Ideas for Autism

Preschool sees first the importance of social use of language. Children, here, play parallel or play together and to any child with communication barriers, this can be a lot of challenge. A lot of the kids on the spectrum have these barriers. But preschoolers on the spectrum benefitted when some of these ideas were tried.

Participate in plays. Take turn every now and then. If it’s tennis, encourage the child to say “my turn” every time he or she has to serve. To encourage further, you can play memory games. Taking turns in a game like this helps a child to prepare for taking turns in conversations.

• Phrases and strategies can be taught and devised to interact with peers. Shared activities are highly fruitful in teaching communications. Playing with blocks, using the sensory table or playing Eye Spy – all these improve a child’s sense of conversational perspectives. Role-playing games too. Preschoolers enjoy that when a game is devised with age-appropriate language skills.
• Playing house or restaurant or grocery store; playing the role of a doctor, or veterinarian is also very enticing to the kids in the spectrum. Making a child familiar with such routines and teaching a language to go with it will make him/her more successful with the peers. Shared attention skills with games like “I Spy.” To do this, stare at something obvious, and have the child guess what you’re looking at. This will help the child with.

Elementary School Speech Therapy Ideas for Autism

Demands from the elementary school are hard for kids on the spectrum to cope with. These children may require negotiating complicated social interactions without using language. To peers, this communication difference may become more apparent. But some strategies work well with younger children. For best results, there should be more than one child participating in the social communication exercise. Let them work from a script and remember the rewards.

• Label the feelings: Cartoon drawings and/or stories help children identify the feelings of a character. This is helpful in suggesting appropriate language-based responses for that feeling.

• Teach children to ask questions. Hiding a toy or an object in a bag and then asking the child to ask what is in the bag is a good way to start. Expand the exercise by introducing various social questions, especially those a child can ask a peer.

• Teach them a bit of body language. To do that, create a non-verbal communication mode. Work on body posture with the child. Turning away, crossing arms, facial expressions – all should come into the script. There should be a list made of interactions a child may actually encounter; providing strategies will make the child succeed. Children on the spectrum mostly express intense interests on specific objects. Music, animals, automobiles, motorcycles, guns and gadgetries – all come under it. These can be used initially for keeping a child engaged in interactions for lengthy periods of time. Questions and answers, non-verbal communication, turn-taking and many other important concepts can be put through this strategy.JmksportShops , Chaussures, sacs et vêtements , Livraison Gratuite | Air Jordan Release Dates 2021 + 2022 Updated , IetpShops , nike new arrival for men japan today live full