Autism: How to know if your child is autistic & if they’d benefit from speech therapy.
Early signs of Autism
Clueing into the presence of early signs and getting connected with the right therapies, allows both the child and parents to receive the support needed to thrive.
Here are some early signs to watch for in your little one:
● They don’t look at you or make eye contact with others.
● They don’t respond to their name by 9 months.
● Doesn’t show facial expressions or emotions by 9 months.
● Limited use of gestures by 12 months. ( we expect 16 gestures by 16 months! )
● Minimal imitation of other people.
● Doesn’t play simple interactive games by 12 months ( peek a boo, patty cake)
● More interested in objects than people and use them in unconventional ways.
● Doesn’t share interests with you by 15 months.
● Moves fingers, hands, or body in unusual ways.
● Doesn’t notice when others are hurt or upset by 24 months.
● Repeats unusual movements with objects.
● Fails to notice other children and join them in play by 36 months.
● Develops rituals and may get upset when altered
● Doesn’t pretend to be something else in play by 48 months.
● Strong interest in unusual sensory experiences.
● Uncommon reactions to sounds, sights and textures.
● Speech-language delays.
● Sensory aversions to foods.
If you notice 3 or more of these signs, it may be time to consider a speech therapy evaluation.
Find the right therapist.
Treating autistic children is common in the speech therapy world, however, not all speech therapists are trained and equipped to provide your child the type of therapy that would most benefit them!
At most larger private practices and in the school setting, children are assigned to speech-language pathologists’ caseloads regardless of their clinical expertise. It is not uncommon for Rachel to see autistic children that were previously being treated by myofunctional therapists, certified lactation specialists, and general practitioner SLPs. It is astonishing how often parents share that their child has been in speech therapy for months, even years with little to no progress. This is often because the therapy was not presented in a way that 1. supports how your autistic child’s brain processes language and 2. is not play-based and neglects their sensory system. These are two non-negotiable methods when working with autistic children.
Language Development
85% of autistic children are gestalt language processors (GLP). This means they develop language in a top-down model, first using songs, scripts, phrases, and echolalia to communicate. GLP kiddos, often memorize songs, books, and TV shows and will re-enact them in play and in real life to communicate! GLP kiddos are nicknamed, “intonation babies” because they babble phrases with intonation and prosody that resembles adult speech but parents cannot decipher words from the babble or jargon their child is saying. This is because GLP cling to intonation and long language strings before accurately articulating single words.
Because they develop language in this way, speech therapy needs to be presented in this same way. Receiving traditional speech therapy can hinder your child’s language development. Most autistic children’s language will hit a ceiling they are unable to breakthrough without a GLP trained speech-language pathologist.
Play-based
Research shows that all children learn best in P L A Y! This goes for learning in the classroom and learning speech-language in speech therapy. Play-based therapy looks like the child steering the selection of the type of play and the type of objects used in play. The speech therapist comes alongside your child to interact with them in the play your child demonstrates and supports the play with language stimulation.
Because the sessions are child-led, the play and language stimulation given are highly motivating and highly relevant for your child. Your child is choosing what they interact and learn about each and every session. Your child is more prone to accept what they are hearing and learning in speech therapy when it is involving items they are interested in, instead of trying to escape what a speech therapist has planned and play with something they truly want.
Child-led, play-based therapy helps regulate and engage your child throughout the session. Because there is no power struggle between the speech therapist and the child to decide the sequence of events in the session, your child is able to maintain their regulation and free up their brain to accept new information being presented in the speech session.
Do all autistic children need speech therapy?
The short answer is no. Some autistic children are able to progress themselves through the NLA stages of gestalt language processing with little to no support.
It is more difficult to determine if your child needs speech therapy because speech-language milestones are not normed for gestalt language processors, so the blanket “50 single words by 24 months” is not applicable. If your 24 month old is reciting scripts and repeating your sentences, they likely aren’t a candidate for speech therapy yet.
However, if their communication method is mainly grunts, whines, cries, and sounds with few words and primarily gestures, I would recommend a speech therapy evaluation. We want them to communicate as efficiently and effectively as possible! It is not a bad thing to get your child speech-language support, in fact it will dramatically increase yours and their quality of life!
How long does my child need speech?
Each child is different! They definitely won’t need it forever. My intention is to never evaluate a child and label them a '“lifer.”
When your child is regulated, participating in highly motivating speech therapy sessions, and getting the correct language stimulation to support their style of language development it goes significantly faster!
Interested in a consultation, reach out at hello@rootedtherapies.com to discuss how you can better support your child and find a speech therapist in your area that is the best fit for their needs!