Being a parent of an autistic child, you should be proud of yourself. You’re special just like your child. And this specialty of yours cannot be taken away.
Autism is not easy to handle. But, if you are determined, you can help your child effectively and efficiently. One of the best options is joining sessions of speech therapy for children.
Don’t be surprised. Ideally, people consider autism and speech therapy as two different things. According to them, there is no connection between the two. But, the fact is speech therapy plays an important role in autism treatment, especially if you are going to an experienced, certified, and licensed therapist.
How does speech therapy work for autism treatment?
The therapy doesn’t start instantly. After screening and detecting the issue, the speech therapist plans the best possible ways to enhance the communication skills of the autistic child. This improves the quality of life of the child as well.
Speech therapy is a part of autism treatment, so it doesn’t work alone. The therapy isn’t confined to the speech laboratory or office. Your child has to work with the family, educator, caregivers, friends, and other specialists.
The speech therapy techniques used to treat autism in your child are the following:
- Use of electronic speech devices
- Picture exchange communication system that uses pictures in place of words
- Articulation of speech using specific techniques
- Regular exercises of lips along with other facial muscles, improving articulation of speech
- Personalized songs to improve rhythm and sentence flow
These techniques are not common to all children. Speech therapists define the techniques as per the individual needs of the child. So, you should thoroughly discuss the plan of your care for your child with the therapist.
What are the benefits of speech therapy in autism treatment?
In an autistic child, speech therapy treats a variety of communication issues, both long-term and short-term. In some cases, speech therapy improves communication ability and increases the quality of life in the child.
Improvement in communication skills includes expressing words in a better way, improving verbal and nonverbal communication, understanding others’ voice tone, starting communication without prompting, developing conversational skills, exchanging thoughts or ideas, and improving social language skills.
When should you start speech therapy for your autistic child?
Identifying the symptoms of autism in a child is very challenging. But, as soon as you identify it, you should start speech therapy for your child. It’s said that an early start of speech therapy gives the best results. It leaves the greatest impact.
The general time for diagnosis of autism in children is before the age of 3. Sometimes, autism can be diagnosed within 10 to 12 months of age. Regarding language delay, it can be identified as early as 18 months of age. But, make sure you combine the therapy with other specialized treatments to see better outcomes of autism treatment.
Speech therapy for children is beneficial in autism treatment. So, unhesitatingly, you should find the best speech therapist for your child.
