The Benefits of Speech Therapy for Children with Autism

Children develop at different rates. Some kids pick up skills such as speech and language faster than others, while others may take longer. Most of the time they’re just late bloomers, but in some cases, it could be due to an underlying cause such as Autism. 

Individuals with this condition may face considerable difficulty with both speech and non-verbal communication. As a result, it may be hard for them to interact socially with others — making speech therapy a fundamental part of treatment for Autism. But before delving into exactly how speech therapy can benefit a person with Autism, let’s take a look at what exactly does it mean to be diagnosed with Autism. 

What is Autism? 

Autism, also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), involves a wide range of developmental conditions. Some characteristics of ASD include challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. 

Signs of Autism appear from a very young age with symptoms often surfacing around 12 and 18 months of age. If a child is diagnosed with Autism by 18 months of age, they can undergo intensive treatment which may help rewire the brain and reverse the symptoms. Thus, learning to recognize early signs in children can be crucial to the treatment of Autism, which typically involves speech therapy to improve communication skills. 

What is speech therapy? 

Since Autism is classified as a spectrum disorder, it means that each person with Autism faces their own unique set of challenges, including those related to communication and speech. For instance, some individuals on the Autism spectrum are unable to speak. However, others enjoy talking but find it difficult to hold a conversation or understand body language and facial expressions when conversing with others. 

Speech-language therapy helps individuals with Autism address these challenges and helps them improve both their verbal and nonverbal communication as well as social communication. The main objective of speech therapy is to help the individual communicate effectively in more useful and functional ways. 

Speech therapy usually begins with an evaluation of the patient’s communication strengths and challenges. After this evaluation, individual goals are established for the therapy. These goals may revolve around improving the spoken language, learning nonverbal skills such as signs or gestures, or learning to communicate through alternative means such as through pictures or technology. 

Some skills that are addressed during speech therapy include: 

● Strengthening muscles in the mouth, jaw, and neck 

● Learning how to make clearer speech sounds 

● Pairing emotions with the corresponding facial expressions 

● Understanding body language 

● Responding to questions 

● Connecting a picture to its meaning 

● Improving articulation 

● Understanding the appropriate time and place to communicate something 

● Developing and improving conversation skills 

● Learning how to communicate in a manner that forms relationships 

● Discovering how to enjoy communicating, playing, and interacting with others 

What are the benefits of speech therapy for children with Autism? 

Speech is a vital part of establishing relationships and integrating into society. It’s what helps to make friends, form ideas, find hobbies, and more. For that reason, the benefits of speech therapy go beyond just learning proper speech patterns and diction. It can help individuals with Autism lead a higher quality of life by improving their ability to form relationships and function in everyday life. 

Speech therapy can help better a child’s understanding of social cues. Challenges with understanding social cues may manifest itself in various ways. It can range from minor issues such as not knowing when to say ‘good morning’ instead of ‘good afternoon’ to more difficult issues such as not knowing what topics are appropriate for conversations. Speech therapy can also aid in improving pronunciation and enunciation thus ensuring that the individual can communicate clearly. 

In addition, a child’s understanding of idioms and context can also be improved with speech therapy. Idioms are a large part of everyday speech and many of them can appear to have no rational or logical thought behind them. For example, phrases such as ‘donkey’s years’ can be difficult for people with Autism to grasp. Speech therapy can help them learn the meaning of such language and it can also help them understand the context in which these idioms are to be used. This is a skill that can have significant effects on enabling an individual with Autism to better integrate into society. 

When should an individual with Autism start speech therapy? 

The earlier a child with Autism can start speech therapy, the greater its impact. Intensive treatment can help reduce the disabling isolation that often results from the social communication and language challenges associated with Autism. 

As a matter of fact, studies show that two out of three preschoolers with Autism improved their communication skills and their comprehension of spoken language through speech therapy. Further research has also indicated that those who improve the most are usually those who received the most speech therapy. 

Fortunately, treatment of Autism including speech therapy is now being offered at Plexus, a Neuro and Stem Cell Therapy center located in Bangalore and other cities across India. The Regenerative Rehabilitation program at Plexus offers specialized care and is fully customized according to the needs of each patient. 

The treatment includes speech therapy, occupational therapy, and Stem Cell Therapy which involves the extraction of stem cells, which have regenerative properties, from the patient’s body to replace impaired cells. Stem Cell Therapy has had promising results in reducing the symptoms of Autism. The entire procedure is painless, drug-free, and patients can typically return home on the same day.