In an attempt to breakdown treatment or therapy for the Autistic, we will be posting on some therapies and treatments we have used with our Autistic Son and why we think they worked, and maybe some funny stories along the way.
Speech Therapy, often known as Speech-Language Therapy is an essential Treatment for Autism. Basically, this is treatment for any child with speech delays or problems. Language disorders are a major problem for people on the Autism spectrum. Many children with Autism will never speak, but a majority of them are very delayed. Our son is now 4 and we can only make out a few of the same words.
There is an enormous amount of classifications for Speech and Language Disorders. It would take days to discuss them all and also a little to complicated for me. But there are some that stick out and are the most common.
Articulation Disorders: Difficulties in producing sounds and syllables. This problem creates words that nobody can understand. Sounds like the child is speaking with a mouth full of marbles. Over time, a speech therapist can help a child get their sounds and syllables to a place that others can understand them.
Fluency Disorders: These are your typical stuttering or small lisps. The flow of speech is interrupted for some reason. There has been many many theories to why a stutter develops. Theories from confidence, to cognitive, to genetic, to some crazy psycho therapy ideas. Either way a good speech therapist can help develop games and processes to try and reduce the stuttering.
Voice or Resonance Disorders: Generally problems with pitch. The child usually can speak but it seems like they deliver their speech with the opposite volume and pitch as most typical children. It is usually very high pitched or a whisper and becomes so distracting that people have a hard time understanding what is being said.
There is 2 ways for these typical disorders to take place.
Receptive disorder is the difficulty understanding or processing language as it comes in. Not a hearing problems, just that as it enters the brain it does not get processed like normal.
Expressive disorders is a difficulty getting the words out. When a child wants to speak they have a hard time putting words together, or they have a very limited vocab. Also, they don’t use language in a socially appropriate way. This last part is questionable, we all know people who aren’t socially appropriate!
Autism and anyone on the spectrum usually have some type of Speech-Language disorder. Our son happens to have an expressive disorder. Through testing and more testing and waiting and watching, we have found him to understand what we are saying to him. He can take 2 and 3 step requests, such as take off your shoes and put them in your room, and complete the task. However, when he wants to tell us something he cannot figure out how to get the correct word out, with the correct sound. He just simply resorts to the same 4 or 5 words he knows. “okay” and “want” are used for everything, but its a start.
Speech Therapy is an amazing Autism Treatment. Not only will it help your Autistic child to begin to speak, that same ability to express themselves will drastically reduce behavior problems. Try to imagine how hard it would be to get through life with only 5 words. How frustrated would you be if you wanted..better yet needed something and you couldn’t say it? You spoke to people and they just stared at you, not helping because they didn’t understand what you were saying. Autistic children are the same.
Also, proper speech will lead to the possibility of reading and that might just unlock the doors to an amazing new horizon for your Autistic Child. The treatment of Autism and its symptoms will simply bring us closer to curing autism.
The many amazing speech therapist in Arizona
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