Speech Therapy for Autism and other Speech and Language Disorders
Speech therapy is used to treat children and adults with speech and/or language disorders that are caused by a variety of factors, such as autism. A speech disorder refers to a problem with the actual production of sounds, where a language disorder refers to a difficulty in understanding words or putting together words to communicate ideas.
Types of Speech or Language Disorders
There are several different types of speech disorders treated with speech therapy:
- Articulation disorders — Include difficulties producing sounds in syllables or saying words correctly.
- Fluency disorders — Includes problems such as stuttering.
- Resonance or voice disorders — Includes problems with the pitch, volume, or quality of the voice.
- Dysphagia/oral feeding disorders — Includes difficulties with eating and swallowing.
Language disorders addressed with speech therapy can be either receptive or expressive:
- Receptive disorders — Involve difficulties in understanding or processing language.
- Expressive disorders — Involve difficulty in putting words together, limited vocabulary, or the inability to use language in a socially appropriate way.
Speech and Language Therapy
Speech and language therapists or speech therapists are professionals educated in the study of human communication, its development, and its disorders. Speech therapists hold a Bachelor or Master’s degree and generally some type of certification or license in the field, and deal with speech issues in children that stem from a variety of conditions, including work with autistic children.
Therapy sessions are held one on one with children or in small groups. In either setting, speech therapy sessions treat problems with articulation, fluency, oral-motor problems, speech problems, and voice issues as well as receptive and expressive language disorders using a variety of strategies and speech therapy activities, including:
- Language intervention activities: In these exercises a therapist interacts with a child through playing and talking. The therapist may use pictures, books, objects, or other methods to stimulate language development. A speech and language therapist may also model correct pronunciation and use repetition exercises to build speech and language skills.
- Articulation therapy: Articulation (or sound production) exercises involve having the therapist model correct sounds and syllables for a child, often during play activities. The therapist will physically show the child how to make certain sounds and may demonstrate how to move the tongue to produce specific sounds. For example, the therapist may work specifically on the “r” sound with a patient who is autistic and has difficulty correctly making this sound.
- Oral motor/feeding therapy: Difficulties in swallowing may also cause speech and language problems. Speech therapy activities in this case use a variety of oral exercises including facial massage and various tongue, lip, and jaw exercises to strengthen the muscles of the mouth. This type of therapy may also involve working with different food textures and temperatures to increase a child’s oral awareness during eating and swallowing.
Who Uses Speech Therapy?
Children or adults might need speech-language therapy for a variety of reasons besides autism, including hearing impairments, cognitive thinking or developmental delays, weak oral muscles, birth defects such as cleft lip or cleft palate, motor planning problems, respiratory problems (breathing disorders), swallowing disorders, or traumatic brain injury.
More information on specialist speech therapy services for autism can be found at http://www.connecttherapy.com
