Autism is a neurological development disorder that is visible in the child by the age of 3. Impaired communication is a part of neurological disorders and it also includes problems in social interaction and cognitive skills. It is being linked to the number of traits like:
- Doing activities repetitively
- Not able to adapt to the changes in daily routines
- Not able to understand touch
- Not able to make friends or interact with others
Children or people who suffer from Autism might face a major problem in communicating verbally and non-verbally as well. It might be very difficult for them to interact socially. It is due to this reason only that speech therapy is required. It can help them in curbing various communication problems that come with autism.
What are those problems?
Those who suffer autism can face multiple problems like:
Speech
- They might not talk at all
- They might make harsh sounds
- They might talk in a musical way
- They might speak like robots
Communication
- They might not be able to make eye contact
- They might have some problem in understanding the context
- They might memorize everything without understanding their meanings
What is the role of speech therapy?
The speech therapists are trained professionals in treating language problems. They are being considered as the most important part of the autism treatment. They are able to come up with the technique of dealing with the problems as soon as they meet the patients.
Once they have been told that it is autism, they can come up with the best ways to improve the level of communication for patients. They work closely with friends and relatives and try to solve the issue of communication.
What is included in speech therapy?
- Electronic Walkie Talkie
- Ways to sign or type
- Using play cards
- Improving articulation of speech
What are the benefits of Speech therapy for autism children?
Speech therapy can be really helpful in improving communication overall. It helps the patients in communicating in their daily life and to improve their relationships and general functioning as well. Some of the major benefits of speech therapy are:
- Speak complete sentences
- Communicate verbally and non-verbally
- Understand both ways of communication
- Initiate conversation
- Know when to greet others
- Communicate with others
What is the best time for speech therapy?
It is recommended that you should start the speech therapy as soon as you get to know that the child or the adult that he or she is suffering from autism, it would help the speech therapist in planning the techniques accordingly. It would be good for the child as well as he or she would start from an early age and they would also be able to learn the techniques by the time they grow up. So an early age is the best age to begin speech therapy for those who are suffering from autism.
