July 14 2022

Speech Therapy for Autism – This Is Why It’s Critically Important

admin Autism, Speech Therapy Treatment 0

Speech Therapy for autism is critically important. This therapy helps these kids build foundational skills. What they learn in speech therapy helps them succeed in school, in talking with peers and participating in everyday activities. When a child gets an autism diagnosis, the parent may wonder about what’s next. A number of different therapies exist and the right ones depend on each child’s needs.

Knowing the therapy your child needs means knowing their areas of strength and areas of need. When you know what skills your child struggles with, you know how to get them the best help. In this post, we talk all about speech therapy for autism and why it’s critically important for kids.

We also talk about the most important signs of autism, the skills with which these kids struggle, and how to help them right now. Children may struggle with speech, language, social skills and more. We also explain the importance of AAC for autistic children.

A Note on using the words ‘Autistic Person’

In this post, we use identity-first language by using ‘autistic person’ and ‘autistic children’ rather than ‘person with autism.’ While some parents or non-autistic people may find this wording offensive, it is strongly supported and preferred by the autistic community.

Speech Therapy for Autism and Your Child’s Needs

Every child builds their skills in their own way. They also need support unique to them. You may wonder about your child’s needs if they have an autism diagnosis. First, take time to look at how your child acts and what they say. Do they use single words? Are they non-speaking? Do they show signs of frustration?

By learning more about your child’s needs, you get a better understanding of the help they need. For example, if they use single words, they may need help in building their language skills. By building these skills, kids get better at putting words together and making sentences.

If they’re non-verbal, they may need an AAC device. If they get frustrated easily, there’s a reason for it, and it may go back to their ability to speak.

Think about your child’s needs and speak with an expert to find out which therapy will help the most.

What Are the Most Important Signs of Autism?

Autism can be known through a number of important signs. When these signs are combined, they suggest autism. However, only a professional diagnoses this disorder. We talk about each of these signs and share examples of what they might look like. For exact definitions, see this list by the CDC (based on the DSM-5).

Social challenges
Repetitive behaviors

Social Challenges in Autism

Autistic children struggle with social skills. This may mean challenges in starting and holding a conversation. It may also mean struggling to understand and use non-verbal language, such as making eye contact and gesturing. Autistic persons also struggle to understand relationships and social situations.

An autistic person may not understand hidden social rules and expectations. Some of these ‘hidden rules’ include making eye contact, facing the person they speak to, not interrupting and not changing the topic abruptly.

For example, a child may not know that others might see interruptions as ‘rude.’ In fact, this may simply be their style of talking.

These children often have trouble talking to peers and solving social problems. If a conversation breaks down, an autistic child may not know what to say or do. We include some of these challenges below.

Starting conversations
Understanding body language
Solving social problems

Repetitive Behaviors and Sensory Needs in Autism

Another sign of autism is repetitive behaviors. Autistic children may make the same body movements many times in a row. They might also say the same things repeatedly.

Autistic children may also be interested in very specific topics, such as electronic parts, certain cars, vacuum cleaners and more. These children often learn a great deal about these topics and seek out information to know more.

Also, autistic children may have sensory needs. For this reason, they may feel extra sensitive to things such as temperature, touch and taste. They may also feel less sensitive to physical things and seek out sensory input.

Using the same body movements
Specific interests
Sensory needs

What Are the Causes of Challenging Behaviors?

Children may have challenging behaviors for a number of reasons. For example, they may want to get away from a certain activity or place. They might also want attention. Moreover, many times autistic children get frustrated when they can’t get their wants and needs met.

Children may get upset when they can’t say what they want. When a child is unable to speak or put words together, others might speak for them or give them things they don’t want. Children need a voice and they need to be able to make choices.

We all need basic things in our daily life. These may include essentials like food and water, but they may also include entertainment and other activities.

We easily get our needs met by getting food or water for ourselves or asking someone to help us. Many autistic children can’t do this. They struggle to tell people what they want because they lack the ability to express what they want and need.

Behaviors Mean Something

It is important to know that every behavior has a cause and means something. Many times that cause goes back to speech and language. If children can’t say what they want, they get frustrated and upset. Behavior tells us something. We need to look and listen carefully to find out how to help.

It’s essential that children get a way to talk about what they want and need. If your child is non-verbal, they need a way to communicate. A speech therapist helps to find out the best way for them to communicate, even if it’s not with speech.

By learning why your child has challenging behaviors and gets upset, you learn how to help them. Sometimes that means giving them a better way to tell you what they need.

A child may get upset because they couldn’t say that they wanted to watch a show. By giving them another way to tell you (such as with AAC), they stop getting upset and communicate better.

What Supports Help with Autism?

One of the best things you can ask your speech therapist is what supports help with autism. Autistic children need special supports. These supports help them grow their skills, self-regulate (calm themselves) and navigate the world.

Researchers have published a great number of studies on how to support autistic children. The support they get depends on their needs.

Sensory Needs

For sensory needs, different textured objects may help them feel more calm. These objects vary in size and shape and feel. They can also help autistic children participate in classroom activities. Sensory items may be squishy, rough or smooth; they may also spin, click or make a sound.

Sometimes autistic children have their own way of self-regulating, such as by humming or making certain sounds. This is their way of calming and participating. These behaviors should not be stopped. However, if the behaviors cause a danger to themselves or others (head-banging, self-harm), parents and experts need to intervene.

Important to Know

For kids who headbang (bang their head against hard objects, such as walls), we recommend buying them a helmet. Research shows that repeated head injuries (even if minor) can worsen over time. Also, a concussion is a minor traumatic brain injury.

Some children also benefit from wearing headphones. Headphones help dampen sound and make it easier for autistic children to participate in the world. They also help these children interact with others and do the things that they love.

Weighted blankets can also help children calm themselves. Just like regular blankets, these blankets are soft and textured, but they also weigh more. These blankets can give children a sense of security and calm.

A child with autism playing with a widget toy.

This Is Why AAC Is Critically Important for Children

If children struggle to speak, they may need AAC. AAC, or augmentative and alternative communication, means a device, visual or object that helps children communicate.

AAC is critically important for children because it gives them a way to:

Continue developing language
Get their wants and needs met
Interact with others
Ease social pressure

Speech Therapy for Autism – AAC Gives Children a Voice

Some parents may worry about their child using AAC. They may think that it may get in the way of speech. However, research shows that AAC actually helps kids speak more.

Some parents may also think that children only learn language by speaking. The truth is that children learn language in many ways. Just because a child can’t speak, doesn’t mean they can’t learn language.

With an AAC device a child gets to learn language and get their wants and needs met. This can help with challenging behaviors. AAC gives children a voice. It allows them a new way to interact with the world and continue building skills they need to succeed.

How to Know If Your Child Needs Speech Therapy for Autism

Many parents may wonder what therapy their child needs if they have autism. Does your child struggle to speak or put words together? Do they struggle to talk to and play with other children? They may need speech therapy.

Behavioral support is for behavior. Speech therapy is for speech, language, social skills and thinking skills. Making sure that your child gets the right therapy is critical. Many children get behavioral therapy when they actually need therapy that supports their speech and language.

If your child does not speak and struggles with putting words together, they may need to see a speech therapist. SLPs know how to support their skills from research-based models. They also let your child take the lead without controlling the way the act or who they are.

Speech Therapy for Autism – How Kids Get Better Language Skills

Language is one of the most important skills for children to grow. For autistic children, this is especially true.

A great deal of research has been published on how to help autistic kids learn language. One of the best ways to get these children better language skills is by teaching language through visuals.

Many autistics kids struggle to learn language through hearing it. They often learn it better by seeing icons (pictures) that represent words. They learn to put these picture together, just like putting words together. This is a great way for them to build grammar skills and become more verbal.

AAC Gives Children New Ways to Build Language

For children who do not speak, using AAC is a great way to help them learn language. AAC also helps them get their basic wants and needs met. AAC could be an iPAD app, a physical booklet or button kids press to say words and make choices.

Children who do not speak can still learn language. This is where AAC comes in. By giving children another way to talk, you help them continue building their skills.

By avoiding AAC and waiting to see if they will speak, they lose out on learning foundational skills. Getting them another way to talk, gets them a new way to learn what they need to know.

Ask your speech therapist if your child needs an AAC evaluation. A licensed speech-language pathologist can find out exactly how your child communicates best.

Speech Therapy for Autism – How Kids Can Speak Better

Many autistic children struggle to make speech sounds. These kids make their speech better through effective speech therapy services. Some children may have trouble with a couple sounds or many. These kids get the most out of consistent practice with a speech therapist.

They also benefit from hearing clear speech at home. By giving them strong speech models, you help them learn how the sounds are made. Some parents worry that if their child uses AAC they won’t keep trying to speak. This is one of the biggest myths. Research shows that children who use AAC improve their speech.

Some autistic children may also have verbal apraxia. This means they may struggle with the movements between sounds. Autism can occur with other difficulties as well. By knowing your child’s areas of need, you can get them the best help for their speech.

Speech Therapy for Autism and Social Skills

Autistic children struggle with social skills. They may not know how to talk peers. They may also need help in learning how to play with other children.

Younger children particularly need structure and support to help them talk to their peers. Older children learn the ‘hidden rules’ and use different strategies (as a choice) when talking with others.

Speech therapy helps these kids learn how to navigate social situations. It also helps them learn how to fix social problems. Sometimes fixing social problems means explaining how we are different and the way to talk to people. Speech therapy for social skills is not about getting kids to act a certain way.

It is about giving them tools they can use if they choose. Speech therapy also helps them build social awareness. They learn the effect people’s actions have on others. They also learn how to better understand body language and non-verbal cues, such as gestures and tone of voice.

Children with autism talking to each other.

How to Help Early Communicators

Early communicators are kids at an early stage of development. They may have trouble noticing you, answering their name and making eye contact. They may not speak yet or only have a few words.

You can help these kids by giving them lots of opportunities for play. By interacting with your child you can help boost their skills. For example, you might make eye contact with them and practice turn-taking. Taking turns might mean passing a ball back and forth.

By giving your child lots of praise when they make eye contact with you or say words, you help them communicate more. Giving them opportunities to make choices also helps. You might offer two of their favorite toys. If they look at one of them and show you they want it, give lots of praise!! This shows they are making a choice!

Play often and be interactive with your child. Remember, talking is only one way of communicating. By honoring all the ways your child tells you something (looking, moving hands, making sound), you help them communicate more. Speak to your child’s speech therapist to learn how you can do this at home.

Conclusion

To summarize, speech therapy for autism looks different for every child, but there are effective ways to help these children. By knowing the different signs of autism, you can help get your child the help they need. When your child gets speech therapy, they learn how to get better speech, language and social skills.

Speech therapy is an effective way of helping autistic children improve their speech and language. Furthermore, speech therapists can help children understand social situations and solve social problems.

If your child struggles to make speech sounds, put words together or talk with peers, they may need speech therapy. Speak with a licensed speech therapist today to get them started and to get them stronger speech, language and social skills. We provide services to all PA residents at this time.

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