Autism is a disability that is developmental and usually shows up before age 3. It is basically a part of a group of neurological disorder which causes impaired communication as well as social interaction and cognitive skills. Autism is also known as ASD that is autism spectrum disorder that is linked with a wide range of traits like repetitive activities, severe resistance to changes, inability to relate to various environment and unusual responses to touch.
The autism and speech therapy are very closely associated with each other. It is seen that people with ASD face both speech and non-verbal communication problems. It becomes very hard for them to interact in social meetings and various similar situations. A wide range of communication problems has just one solution and that is speech therapy. With the help of speech therapy you can treat problems like:
Not talking at all.
Making harsh sounds, grunting, crying or shrieking.
Humming or talking in a musical way.
Babbling with a word like sounds.
Making use of foreign like words or making robotic like speech
Making use of right phrases and sentences but without any expression in the tone of voice.
The various methods used in speech therapy are effective enough to treat people facing trouble with producing speech sounds and as a result, they can communicate effectively with others once the treatment gets completed successfully.
There are these therapists who are actually speech-language pathologists specialised in treating speech disorders and other language problems. They hold a key position in the autism treatment team. They help in early detection of this problem and even refer to specialists if required.
After the diagnosis is made for autism, these therapists’ starts assessing the best possible ways to make improvement in communication and also helps in enhancing the quality of life of an individual. Right through the process, the therapists make sure that a close contact is made with the person’s family and close members.
Speech therapists have great observation skills and if someone with autism is nonverbal or faces extreme difficulty with speech, they help by bringing up alternatives to speech.
There are various speech therapy techniques available like electronic talkers, signing or typing, picture exchange communication system where pictures are used instead of words to help someone to learn to communicate, helping with sound therapy where expanded and compressed speech sounds are made, enhancing articulation of speech by massaging or exercising lips or facial muscles and lastly involving individuals in song sessions where they have to match the rhythm, stress and flow of sentences.
The autism and speech therapy experts are able to contribute more because of their major research work in this segment. It is thus very important to discuss with them about the problem without any delay. This would help in early detection and there would be no delay in providing the treatment to the person. Hence, to avoid facing extreme problems due to autism one should get in touch with the therapists as soon as possible.