April is the month when people around the globe recognize World Autism Month (or World Autism Awareness Day, which falls on April 2). If you have a child with autism, we understand that every day is autism day, but we still want to take this opportunity to underscore the importance of speech therapy.
Our goal at Celebrations Speech Group is to ensure that every child has a voice, no matter their challenge. And autism can certainly lead to communication hurdles, hurdles that speech therapy can help them clear.
Here’s a look at how speech therapy gives kids the tools and the confidence to help them communicate with the world around them.
One of the reasons why autism is now called autism spectrum disorder is to include the wide range of communication hurdles that are associated with the condition. Please note that when we use the term communicate, this includes language, yes, but also interaction. In other words, communication isn't just about language and voice — an expression or behavior can convey an entire story without a word ever being spoken.
For the 1 in 31 kids who have autism in the United States, the landscape of communication can be tricky, as kids with autism can struggle with:
Our point here is that communication goes well beyond talking — a conversation is a dance in which people are not only listening and speaking, but also recognizing cues and responding to them in ways both parties understand. And kids with autism can get left behind because they don’t fully understand the moves.
For kids with autism, the entire communication system can be a mystery, and it can be incredibly frustrating for kids not to feel heard or understood. It would be like stepping off a plane into a foreign world where you don’t understand the language, culture, or people, so nothing makes sense, which can be incredibly isolating.
This is where speech therapy comes in — we focus on ways for kids with autism to find their voice and to be heard and understood. Bear in mind that voice may not be a verbal one.
Speech therapy is a broad umbrella therapy that we can tailor to your child’s unique needs. Some examples of the work we do in speech therapy include:
All of our speech therapy work is evidence-based, and we’re equipped with the latest tools and technology to help kids with autism plug into the world by figuring out a way to communicate and interact with it. While the end result might not be what the rest of the world considers to be “normal” communication, we create a new and creative normal for kids with autism that empowers them to speak up, even if they can’t speak.
We also want to point out that early speech therapy work can be very beneficial. Studies show that early intervention for autism can set the stage for improved skills that will serve them well for a lifetime.
To sit down with one of our speech therapy specialists to explore how we can give your child a true voice, please contact one of our offices in Brentwood, Stockton, or Elk Grove, California, to schedule an appointment.
