Autistic Speech and Language

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How to develop language in children havingautism

Table of content:

1. Definition of autism

2. History of autism

3. What is autism spectrum?

4. Early Signs of Autism

5. Possible Early Autism Signs

6. Characteristics of children with Autism

7. Types of Autism

a. Autistic Disorder

b. Aspergers Disorder

c. Pervasive Developmental Disorder

d. Retts Disorder

e. Childhood disintegrative Disorder

8. Causes of autism

a. Family Factors

b. Neurotransmitters

9. Autism Symptoms

a. Social Interaction

b. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication

c. Repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive

interests

10. Diagnostic criteria of autistic disorders

11. What is language?

12. Language Development in Autistic Children


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13. Language Development in Autistic Children:

Understanding Normal Development

14. What Causes Speech and Language Problems in

Autism?

15. What Are the Communication Problems of Autism?

16. How Are the Speech and Language Problems of

Autism Treated?

17. What Are the Goals?

18. Causes and Milestones

19. Causes of delays in speech

20. Speech milestones21. Speech and Language Therapy for Children with

Autism

22. Sign Language & Autism / Special Needs

23. What to do to improve your childs speech and

language

24. References


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How to develop language in children having autism

Definition of autism:

Autism is a complex developmental disorder distinguished by difficulties with

social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and behavioral

problems, including repetitive behaviors and narrow focus of interest

History of autism:

Leo Kannerintroduced the label early infantile autism in 1943.

Leo Kanner first identified autism in 1943 when he described 11 self-

absorbed children who had "autistic disturbances of affect contact." At first, autism

was thought to be an attachment disorder resulting from poor parenting. This has

been proved to be a myth. While the cause remains a mystery, most specialistsnow view autism as a brain disorder that makes it difficult for the person to process

and respond to the world. Autism has been observed in several members of the

same families. Therefore, many scientists believe that, at least in some individuals,

autism may be genetic. Scientists have identified some genes as playing a

possible role in the development of autism.

What is autism spectrum?

This is about the classic autistic disorder; some writers use the word autism

when referring to the range of disorders on the autism spectrum or to the various

pervasive developmental disorders.
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Early Signs of Autism:

Autism varies widely in its severity and symptoms. Because of this, early signs

may go unrecognized, especially in mildly affected children or when it is masked

by more debilitating handicaps.

Possible Early Autism Signs:

Doctors rely on a core group of early signs to alert them to the possibility of a

diagnosis of autism.

These early signs of autism can include:

Impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others

Impaired ability to make friends with peers

Inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals

Absence or impairment of imaginative and social play

Stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language

Restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus

Preoccupation with certain objects or subjects.

Characteristics of children with Autism:
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1."Marked impairment in the use of multiple nonverbal behaviors such as eye-to-

eye gaze, facial expression, body postures, and gestures to regulate social

interaction." (DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic Disorder. 1994.)

2. "Failure to develop peer relationships appropriate to developmental level."

(DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic Disorder. 1994.)

3."A lack of spontaneous seeking to share enjoyment, interests, or achievements

with other people (e.g., by a lack of showing, bringing or pointing out objects of

interest)." (DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic Disorder. 1994.)

4. "Lack of social or emotional reciprocity." (DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic

Disorder. 1994.)

5. "Delay in or total lack of, the development of spoken language (not

accompanied by an attempt to compensate through alternative modes of

communication such as gestures or mime)." (DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic

Disorder. 1994)

6. "In individuals with adequate speech, marked impairment in the ability to initiate

or sustain a conversation with others." (DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic

Disorder. 1994.)

7. "Stereotyped and repetitive use of language or idiosyncratic language." (DSM-

IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic Disorder. 1994.)

8. "Lack of varied, spontaneous make-believe play or social imitative play

appropriate to developmental level." (DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic

Disorder. 1994.)

9. "Encompassing preoccupation with one or more stereotyped and restricted

patterns of interest that is abnormal either in intensity or focus." (DSM-IV

Diagnostic criteria for Autistic Disorder. 1994.)

10. "Apparently inflexible adherence to specific, nonfunctional routines or rituals."

(DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for Autistic Disorder. 1994.)

11. "Stereotyped and repetitive motor mannerisms (e.g., hand or finger flapping or

twisting, or complex whole-body movements)." (DSM-IV Diagnostic criteria for

Autistic Disorder. 1994.)


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Also loss of purposeful use of hands, which is replaced by repetitive hand

movements.

Beginning at age of 1-4 years.

5. Childhood disintegrative Disorder:

Normal development for at least the first 2 years.Then significant loss of previously acquired skills.

Causes of autism :

Scientists aren't certain of the cause ofautism, but it's likely that both genetics and

environment play a role.

1. Family Factors:

Recent studies strongly suggest that some people have a genetic

predisposition to autism. In families with one autistic child, the risk of having a

second child with the disorder is approximately 5 percent, or one in 20. This is

greater than the risk for the general population.

Researchers are looking for clues about which genes contribute to

increased susceptibility. In some cases, parents and other relatives of an autistic

child show mild impairments in social and communicative skills or engage in

repetitive behaviors. Evidence also suggests that some emotional disorders, such

as manic depression, occur more frequently than average in the families of

people with autism.

The theory that parental practices are responsible for autism has now been

disproved.
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2.Neurotransmitters:

Some studies suggest that people with autism have abnormal levels of

serotonin or other neurotransmitters in the brain. These abnormalities suggest that

autism could result from the disruption of normal brain development early in fetal

development caused by defects in genes that control brain growth and that

regulate how neurons communicate with each other. While these findings are

intriguing, they are preliminary and require further study.

Autism Symptoms:

There are three distinctive symptoms ofautism:

Difficulties with social interaction

Problems with verbal and nonverbal communication

Repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests.

1. Social Interaction:

The hallmark symptom of autism is impaired social interaction. Parents are

usually the first to notice possibly symptoms in their child. As early as infancy, a
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baby with autism symptoms may be unresponsive to people or focus intently on

one item to the exclusion of others for long periods of time. A child with autism may

appear to develop normally and then withdraw and become indifferent to social

engagement.

2. Verbal and Nonverbal Communication:

The second most common symptom of autism is problems with verbal and

nonverbal communication. Children with autism may fail to respond to their name

and often avoid eye contact with other people. They have difficulty interpreting

what others are thinking or feeling because they can't understand social cues,

such as tone of voice or facial expressions, and don't watch other people's faces

for clues about appropriate behavior. They lack empathy.

3. Repetitive behaviors or narrow, obsessive interests:

These behaviors include:

Impaired ability to make friends with peers

Impaired ability to initiate or sustain a conversation with others

Absence or impairment of imaginative and social play

Stereotyped, repetitive, or unusual use of language

Restricted patterns of interest that are abnormal in intensity or focus

Preoccupation with certain objects or subjects

Inflexible adherence to specific routines or rituals.


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Diagnostic criteria of autistic disorder:

There is no medical test for diagnosing autism. Diagnosis is made after careful

observation and screening by parents, caregivers, and physicians. Early diagnosis

is beneficial in treating the symptoms of autism. Some early warning signs are:

avoiding eye contact

avoiding physical contact such as hugs

inability to play make-believe

not pointing out interesting objects

not responding to conversation directed at him/her

practicing excessively repetitive behaviors

repeating words or phrases

loosing skills and/or language after learning them

Once parents feel there is a problem or their pediatrician has identified


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developmental problems during well-baby check-ups, they can seek out a

developmental pediatrician for further diagnosis.

There are several screening tests used. They are:

Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)-a test based on a 15 point scale

where specific behaviors are observed by the physician.

Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (CHAT)-a test to detect autism in 18-month

olds that utilizes questionnaires filled out by both the parents and the

pediatrician.

Autism Screening Questionnaire-a 40-item questionnaire for diagnosing

children four and older.

Screening Test for Autism in Two-Year Olds-a direct observation of three

skill areas including play, motor imitation, and joint attention.

Some children have a few of the symptoms of autism, but not enough to be

diagnosed with the "classical" form of the condition. Children who have autistic

behavior but no problems with language may be diagnosed with Asperger

syndrome by using the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire, the Australian

Scale for Asperger's Syndrome, or the Childhood Asperger Syndrome Test.

Children who have no initial symptoms but who begin to show autistic behavior as

they get older might be diagnosed with "childhood disintegrative disorder" (CDD),

another autistic spectrum disorder. It is also important to rule out other problems

that seem similar to autism.

What is language?

Language is define as,

A system of conventional, spoken or written symbols by means of which human

beings, as members of a social group and participants in its culture, communicate

Language is the code whereby ideas about the world are represented through a

conventional system of arbitrary signals for communication


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Language Development in Autistic Children:

Language development in autistic children varies, depending upon the

intellectual and social development of the individual. Problems associated with

language development in autistic children include difficulty with word and sentence

meaning, intonation, and rhythm.

These difficulties interfere with an individual's ability to interpret and interact

with the world. Some scientists tie the communication problems to a "theory of

mind" or impaired ability to think about thoughts or imagine another individual's

state of mind. Along with this is an impaired ability to symbolize, both when trying

to communicate and in play.

Language Development in Autistic Children: UnderstandingNormal Development:

The most intensive period of speech and language development is during

the first three years of life, a period when the brain is developing and maturing.

These skills appear to develop best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and

consistent exposure to the speech and language of others. At the root of this

development is the desire to communicate or interact with the world.

The beginning signs of communication occur in the first few days of life

when an infant learns that a cry will bring food, comfort, and companionship.

Newborns also begin to recognize important sounds such as the sound of their


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mother's voice. They begin to sort out the speech sounds (phonemes) or building

blocks that compose the words of their language. Research has shown that by 6

months of age, most children recognize the basic sounds of their native language.

As the speech mechanism (jaw, lips, tongue, and throat) and voice mature,an infant is able to make controlled sound. This begins in the first few months of

life with "cooing," a quiet, pleasant, repetitive vocalization. Usually by 6 months of

age an infant babbles or produces repetitive syllables such as "ba, ba, ba" or "da,

da, da." Babbling soon turns into a type of nonsense speech called jargon that

often has the tone and cadence of human speech but does not contain real words.

By the end of their first year, most children have mastered the ability to say a few

simple words. Children are most likely unaware of the meaning of their first words,

but soon learn the power of those words as others respond to them.

By 18 months of age most children can say 8 to 10 words and, by age 2,

are putting words together in crude sentences such as "more milk." During this

period children rapidly learn that words symbolize or represent objects, actions,

and thoughts. At this age they also engage in representational or pretend play.

At ages 3, 4, and 5 a child's vocabulary rapidly increases, and he or she begins to

master the rules of language. These include the rules of:

Phonology (speech sounds)

Morphology (word formation)

Syntax (sentence formation)

Semantics (word and sentence meaning)

Prosody (intonation and rhythm of speech)

Pragmatics (effective use of language).


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What Causes Speech and Language Problems in Autism?

Although the cause of speech and language problems in autism is

unknown, many experts believe that the difficulties are caused by a variety of

conditions that occur either before, during, or after birth affecting brain

development. This interferes with an individual's ability to interpret and interact with

the world. Some scientists tie the communication problems to a "theory of mind" or

impaired ability to think about thoughts or imagine another individual's state of

mind. Along with this is an impaired ability to symbolize, both when trying to

communicate and in play.

What Are the Communication Problems of Autism?

The communication problems of autism vary, depending upon the

intellectual and social development of the individual. Some may be unable to

speak, whereas others may have rich vocabularies and are able to talk about

topics of interest in great depth. Despite this variation, the majority of autistic

individuals have little or no problem with pronunciation. Most have difficulty

effectively using language. Many also have problems with word and sentence

meaning, intonation, and rhythm.

Those who can speak often say things that have no content or information.

For example, an autistic individual may repeatedly count from one to five. Others

use echolalia, a repetition of something previously heard. One form, immediate

echolalia, may occur when the individual repeats the question, "Do you want

something to drink?" instead of replying with a "yes" or "no." In another form called

delayed echolalia, an individual may say, "Do you want something to drink?"

whenever he or she is asking for a drink.

Others may use stock phrases such as, "My name is Tom," to start a

conversation, even when speaking with friends or family. Still others may repeat

learned scripts such as those heard during television commercials. Some

individuals with higher intelligence may be able to speak in depth about topics they


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are interested in such as dinosaurs or railroads but are unable to engage in an

interactive conversation on those topics.

Most autistic individuals do not make eye contact and have poor attention

duration. They are often unable to use gestures either as a primary means of

communication, as in sign language, or to assist verbal communication, such as

pointing to an object they want. Some autistic individuals speak in a high-pitched

voice or use robot-like speech. They are often unresponsive to the speech of

others and may not respond to their own names. As a result, some are mistakenly

thought to have a hearing problem. The correct use of pronouns is also a problem

for autistic individuals. For example, if asked, "Are you wearing a red shirt today?"

the individual may respond with, "You are wearing a red shirt today," instead of

"Yes, I am wearing a red shirt today."

For many, speech and language develop, to some degree, but not to a

normal ability level. This development is usually uneven. For example, vocabulary

development in areas of interest may be accelerated. Many have good memories

for information just heard or seen. Some may be able to read words well before the

age of five but may not be able to demonstrate understanding of what is read.

Others have musical talents or advanced ability to count and perform mathematical

calculations. Approximately 10 percent show "savant" skills or detailed abilities in

specific areas such as calendar calculation, musical ability, or math.


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How Are the Speech and Language Problems of Autism Treated?

If autism or some other developmental disability is suspected, the child's

physician will usually refer the child to a variety of specialists, including a speech-

language pathologist, who performs a comprehensive evaluation of his or her

ability to communicate and designs and administers treatment. No one treatment

method has been found to successfully improve communication in all individuals

who have autism. The best treatment begins early, during the preschool years, is

individually tailored, targets both behavior and communication, and involves

parents or primary caregivers.

What Are the Goals?

The goal of therapy should be to improve useful communication. For some,

verbal communication is a realistic goal. For others, the goal may be gestured

communication. Still others may have the goal of communicating by means of a

symbol system such as picture boards. Treatment should include periodic in-depth

evaluations provided by an individual with special training in the evaluation and

treatment of speech and language disorders, such as a speech-language

pathologist. Occupational and physical therapists may also work with the individual

to reduce unwanted behaviors that may interfere with the development of

communication skills.


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Some individuals respond well to highly structured behavior modification

programs; others respond better to in-home therapy that uses real situations as the

basis for training. Other approaches such as music therapy and sensory

integration therapy, which strives to improve the child's ability to respond to

information from the senses, appear to have helped some autistic children,although research on the efficacy of these approaches is largely lacking.

Medications may improve an individual's attention span or reduce unwanted

behaviors such as hand-flapping, but long-term use of these kinds of medications

is often difficult or undesirable because of their side effects. No medications have

been found to specifically help communication in autistic individuals. Mineral and

vitamin supplements, special diets, and psychotherapy have also been used, but

research has not documented their effectiveness.

Causes and Milestones:

Some children take longer to develop their speech to a level where

everything they say can be understood. These speech or language delays can

occur for a variety of reasons.

Causes of delays in speech:

According to Elizabeth M. Prather, PhD, Finding the exact cause or causes

of your child's speech problem can be difficult. Each child's speech is influenced by

many factors, including the ability to hear, the physical development of the mouth

and throat, and the abilities the child inherits. Some of the most common causes

of delay she discusses are:

1. Hearing Loss: Children learn to speak by hearing others speak. So when

repeat ear infections or other hearing problems occur children can not hear speech

correctly so cannot learn to speak correctly. For example, "cat", "hat, "sat" may all

sound the same to a hearing impaired child. From 12 months to 4 years of age

language development is at its peak, so repeated ear infections during this time

may affect speech and language.


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2. Language Delay: Children may have difficulty learning the meaning of words

and how to use words in sentences. Learning delays affect language acquisition.

3. Genetic Inheritance: It is common but not inevitable that late speech

development runs in families. One or both parents or any number of relatives may

have had speech problems when they were young. However, children with slow

speech development do not always have parents who had the same problem.

4. Bad Speech Habits: When children are beginning to speak they say many

words incorrectly. If a child repeats an incorrect pattern long enough they learn it

as a habit. For example, a child may say bor if instead of for if. If uncorrected

the bad speech will become habit.

While these are the most common, they are by no means the only causes for

speech or language delays. A physician can help you determine if a delay is due to

physical or other causes.

Speech milestones:

Usually, there is concern about a child's speech and language skills if there

is no speech by the age of 1 year, if speech is not clear, or if speech or language is

different from that of other children of the same age. Though a physician or speech

therapist should be the final source for determining if a child has a speech delay,

the following milestones may help you do an initial evaluation.


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3 MONTHS: A baby should become startled at loud noises, soothed by calm,

gentle voices, cry, gurgle, and grunt.

6 MONTHS: Baby watches your face when you talk, tries to "talk" to you, coos and

squeals for attention.

1 YEAR: The child understands some common words when used with gestures,

like "bye, bye", and tries to say words like- "ba ba", "ma, ma."

18 MONTHS: One-year-old children should be able to understand a variety of

words and should be using a few single words. The child should be babbling,

understanding simple questions/statements such as "where is your nose? And

"give me".

2 YEARS: By age two, words should be combined into two and three-word

phrases and sentences, such as "more milk", "all gone", "my turn". The child also

understands "where is mommy/daddy?" and simple directions such as, "get your

coat". Two year olds understand more words than they can speak. A two-year-old

understands approximately 300 words.

3 YEARS: A three-year-old can follow simple directions such as, time to take a

bath, "tell him your name. She can also put an object in, under, or on top of a

table when asked. She can also answer simple questions about objects such as

which one is bigger? By age three a child understands approximately 900 words

and speaks 200 words clearly.

4 YEARS: A four-year-old can follow two-step directions such as "close the book

and give it to me". She also knows her first and last name, can answer reasoning

questions such as, "What do we do when we're cold?", and can tell a short story

such as, "two kids played ball." Sentences are usually 4 to 5 words long. By four a

child is giving directions such as "put my shoes on" and asking many questions. A

four-year-old understands 1500-2000 words and can use the following pronouns:

he, she, you, me, I, and mine.


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5 YEARS: A child this age can follow 3 related directions such as "get your

crayons, make a picture and give it to the baby". Most letters are pronounced

accurately except perhaps for L, R, S, K, TH, CH, SH, TH. A five-year-old can

describe objects and events and can tell you the meaning of words. A five-year-old

typically understands 2500-2800 words, speaks in 5-8 word sentences, uses 1500-2000 words and tells long stories accurately.

6 YEARS:By this age a child understands 13,000 words, understands opposites, classifies

according to form, color and use, and uses all pronouns correctly.

7 YEARS: A child this age can now understand 20,000-26,000 words, understands time

intervals and seasons of the year, and is aware of mistakes in other peoples speech.

Speech and Language Therapy for Children with Autism:

What is it?

The goal ofspeech therapy is to improve all aspects ofcommunication. This

includes: comprehension, expression, sound production, and social use

oflanguage . Speech therapy may include sign language and the use ofpicture

symbols . At its best, a specific speech program is tailored to the specific

weaknesses and the environment of the individual child. Unfortunately, it can be

difficult to create a child-specific, evolving, long-term speech therapy plan.
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The National Research Council describes four aspects ofbeneficial speech therapy.

1. Speech therapy should begin early in a child's life and be frequent.

2. Therapy should be rooted in practical experience in the child's life.

3. Therapy should encourage spontaneouscommunication.

4. Any communication skills learned during speech therapy should be

generalizable to multiple situations.

Thus, any speech therapy program should include practice in many different

places with many different people. In order forspeech therapy to be most

successful, caregivers should practice speech exercises during normal daily

routines in the home, school, and community. Speech therapists can give specific

examples of how best to incorporate speech therapy throughout a child's day.

What's it like?

Speech therapy sessions will vary greatly depending upon the child. If the

child is younger than three years old, then the speech therapist will most likely

come into the home for a one-hour session. If the child is older than three,

then therapy sessions will occur at school or in the therapists office. If the child

is school age, expect that speech therapy will include one-on-one time with the

child, classroom-based activities, and consultations between the speech and

teachers and parents.

The sessions should be designed to engage the child in communication.

The therapist will engage the child using games and toys chosen specifically for

the child. Several different speech techniques and approaches can be used in a

single session or throughout many sessions (see does it works?).

Speech and language therapy may include tools and strategies

called augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). These tools can be

very helpful for children with little or no verbalcommunication skills. For example,

a picture exchange communication system(orPECS; http://www.pecs.org.uk/)
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allows the child to communicate using pictures. Go to ourPECS Fact Sheet for

more information.

What is the theory behind it?

Children with autism not only may have trouble communicating socially, but

may also have problems behaving. These behavioral problems are believed to be

at least partially caused by the frustration associated with the inability

to communicate. Speech therapy is intended to improve social

communication skills, and teach the ability to use those communication skills as an

alternative to unacceptable behavior.

Does it work?

Many scientific studies demonstrate that speech therapy is able to improve

the communication of children with autism. Parents reported improvements in

social play, confidence, and behavior at home and at school with speech therapy.

The most successful approaches to speech therapy include components of early

identification, family involvement, and individualized treatment.

There are many different approaches to speech therapy and most of them

are effective. The table below lists some of the different approaches. In most cases

a speech therapist will use a combination of approaches in a program.

Type ofSpeechTherapy

Definition Does the Research Support It?

Augmentative andalternative

communication(AAC)

broad term for formsofcommunication that supplementor enhance speech, including

electronic devices, pictureboards, and sign language

Yes
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Discrete trialtraining

therapy that focuses onbehavior and actions

Yes

Facilitatedcommunication

communication technique that

involves a facilitator who placeshis hand over the patient's hand,arm or wrist, which is placed ona board orkeyboard with letters,

words or pictures

No

Functionalcommunicationtraining (FCT)

use ofpositive reinforcement tomotivate the child to

communicate

Yes

Generalizedimitation

child is encouragedto mimic the therapists mouthmotions before attempting to

make the sound

Yes

Mand training use ofprompts andreinforcements of independentrequests for items (referred to

as mands)

Yes

Motivationaltechniques

therapy techniquesthat focus on following the

child's lead and capitalize on thechild's desire to respond

Yes

Peer mentors/circleof friends

use of children who are trainedto interact with the autistic child

throughout the day

Yes

Picture exchangecommunicationsystem (PECS)

a type ofAAC that uses picturesymbols to communicate(seeP

ECS Fact Sheet)

Yes

Relationshiptrademarked treatment program

that centers on the belief thatYes
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developmentintervention (RDI)

individuals with autism canparticipate in authentic

emotional relationships if theyare exposed to them in agradual, systematic way

Sign language/totalcommunication

language of hand shapes,movements, and facial

expressions (especially usefulfor ages 0 to 3)

Yes

Story scripts/socialstories

actual stories that can be usedor adapted to teach social skills

Yes

Sign Language & Autism / Special Needs:

Sign language is most often thought of in the context of the deaf community.

But, as this website demonstrates, it can also be taught to pre-verbal babies, with

numerous benefits for parent and child. Research also shows that sign language

is often beneficial for children with special needs which effect their speech and/or

social development, such as autism, apraxia or downs syndrome.

Teaching a child sign language usually has great academic benefits,

especially for children with special needs. Some children have an impairment that

affects his ability to make auditory and visual connections. Sign language helps

trigger that area of the brain linked to speech and language development, thus

helping to expand the childs vocabulary and enhancing speech development.

When a childs speech development is enhanced, so are his social and

emotional skills. Children with special needs can be very frustrated when

communication becomes difficult. This frustration may manifest itself in the form of

depression or tantrums and aggression. Sign language can help remove

communication barriers and eliminate much of the frustration associated with the
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same. By expanding his vocabulary, and eliminating communication barriers, the

child will have more independence and greater self esteem and behave in a more

socially accepted manner.

What to do to improve your childs speech and language

1) Set realistic expectations. Speech milestones are not reached overnight and

especially not when the child has a disability such as autism. Patience and

understanding are key when helping a child with autism learn speech.

2) Sing or whisper words when speaking, because autistic people can often

understand the words better this way.

3) Teach nouns first since autistic people are known to be visual thinkers and it is

often easier for them to learn words they can associate with a picture in their

minds. Starting out this way is ideal when they are learning and becoming

comfortable with the basic concepts of speech and language.

4) Use fixations to keep them focused and incorporate learning. It is not uncommon

for autistic children to become fixated on certain things. Use this as an

advantage when possible. For example, if an autistic child likes cars and you are

trying to teach him a sentence, use a caras the sentences subject to keep him

interested.

5) Help the child pronounce consonant sounds, because difficulty with this is

known to occur among autistic children. For example, the child might confuse

words like "mop" and "hop." In that case, it is especially important to take time to

stress consonants to the child by enunciating those sounds.
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6) Avoid long sentences and verbal instruction. Keep language simple and direct

while the child is learning the concept of verbal speech.

7) Use flashcards and pictures often. If the child can develop a clear picture in her

mind to associate with the words she is learning, it will help her to remember

them.8) Respond to the child appropriately. Sometimes it can be difficult for an autistic

child to remember words. They may confuse words such as "spoon" and "fork."

If your child asks you to hand he a fork and you suspect he may actually mean

that he wants a spoon, hand him a fork. If he becomes frustrated, ask him if he

wants a spoon and show him the correct object.

9) Be honest when you do not understand what your child says. Don't pretend that

you understand by saying "OK" or "Yes, that's right." Encourage, but dont force,

your child to try to tell you again. When you do understand what your child says

letting her know will encourage good language use.

10) Model good speech. When your child makes errors repeat what she attempted

to say correctly. Children learn correct speech by listening to you talk and read

correctly.

11) Read to your child. Children acquire vocabulary and speech sound

production gradually. Capitalizing on a childs desire to repeatedly read the

same book increases familiarity with language. The more she hears the words

and sentences the more likely she is to retain and use the language.

12)Consult a professional if you have any concerns about your childs speech or

language. Your physician should be able to refer you to a speech therapist or

speech pathologist if further evaluation is necessary. If there is a problem, early

attention is important. If there is no problem, you will be relieved of worry. No

child is too young to be helped and language is an important life tool, so if you

are in doubt has your childs language and speech evaluated.


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References :

1. Caronna EB, Milunsky JM, Tager-Flusberg H. Autism spectrumdisorders: clinical and research frontiers. Arch Dis Child. 2008

2. American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

of Mental Disorders. 4th, text revision (DSM-IV-TR) ed. 2000.

3. Levy SE, Mandell DS, Schultz RT. Autism. Lancet. 2009.

4. Johnson CP, Myers SM, Council on Children with Disabilities.

Identification and evaluation of children with autism spectrum disorders.

Pediatrics. 2007

5. Abrahams BS, Geschwind DH. Advances in autism genetics: on the

threshold of a new neurobiology. Nat Rev Genet. 2008.

6. Arndt TL, Stodgell CJ, Rodier PM. The teratology of autism. Int J Dev

Neurosci. 2005.

7. Rutter M. Incidence of autism spectrum disorders: changes over time

and their meaning. Acta Paediatr. 2005

8. Gerber JS, Offit PA (2009). "Vaccines and autism: a tale of shifting

hypotheses". Clin Infect Dis 48

9. CDC Data "Autism Spectrum Disorders - Data & Statistics". Center

for Disease Control and Prevention. May 13, 2010.

http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html CDC Data. Retrieved

December 25, 2010.
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Autistic Speech and Language