Speech Therapy Proclaims The Voice Of Autism

Nowadays, specialists provide therapy sessions for children who harbor speech problems

including total refusal to speak, just grunting, crying loudly, coming up with throaty and harsh sounds, babbling word-like sounds and repeating words said by another person (echolalia). Some kids could hum or talk in a musical pattern and use robotic-like speech using words familiar only to them. Speech therapy gives hope for patients as well as their parents. Speech-language pathologists work very closely with the subjects family, school teachers and other specialists to help improve communication. Lisa Jo Rudy, an autism advocate who parents a 14-year-old autistic child, shares what language therapists provide for autistic children.

Use of gestures such as pointing at objects is a Non-verbal type of communication. There are certain materials used to help out such as PECS (picture exchange cards) and AAC (augmentative and alternative communication). These reinforce learning in the autistic childs terms. This helps to distinguish symbols and pictures that later can be used in forming sentences.

Lisa says another technique is pragmatics where the autistic child is trained to say Good Morning, Hello, Goodbye and other discourse starters to be said at the right time and to the right person. Improving conversation skills needs a lot of patience on the side of the therapist. The ability to utter a statement is different from the ability to carry on discourses. Different as it is, it is a step forward that once achieved, will allow the autistic child to start with small conversations. One small step at a time is a victory in itself as it signifies progress.

Autismspeaks.org provides an extensive explanation of a certain type of therapy called Verbal Behavior Therapy. This procedure reinforces communication in correlation with the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) theories and principles of behaviorist by B.F. Skinner. It basically encourages a patient to learn language by putting words that are related to their purpose together. Through this, the subject will recognize that he can get what he desires with the use of words. The method also avoids labeling, that is, using one or two words. It focuses, rather, on utilizing language, with groups of words, to request for something. In conclusion, it actually makes the student understand why words are used. Errorless learning is an important factor of this procedure where the therapist gives constant prompts to encourage articulation. The prompts become less prying in the shortest time possible, until there is no more need for prompting.

Educational psychologists Robert and Lynn Kern Koegel developed another treatment called Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). It has been labeled as one of the best studied and validated treatments for autism. Just like Verbal Behavior Therapy, it also derives principles from the ABA presented by Skinner wherein play and child initiation is encouraged. Among its goals is to develop communication, language, and create positive social behaviors, in the same breath lessening or eliminating disruptive stimulatory behaviors. It mainly targets pivotal factors of a childs improvement, including motivation, response to various cues, taking care of ones self, and acceptance of social interactions. It also emphasizes natural reinforcement. If a child displays reasonable and meaningful attempts to request, for instance a toy, the reward is the specified toy and not other thing like candy and such.

Autism is an impairment that is not understood by many people since an autistic child has difficulty expressing him or herself. Speech therapy is a tool that breaks a patients wall of silence. It has the ability to produce promising results but with the knowledge that actual progress takes time. With proper motivation from the therapist, love, care and support from the family, and patience from the society, autism might just become an impairment that can be dealt with and overcome.

by: Dennis M. Napoli

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