This article describes a new framework that can be used to define a child’s level of spoken language and to measure if therapy may be effective for children with autism.
The aim of this article is to offer measures that can be used to see whether interventions are useful in teaching language skills. The report describes the effort of a working group from the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders that spent 18 months setting benchmarks to describe a child’s language level. The working group suggests that therapists move away from the term functional speech and instead use a developmental framework for language. They note that it is hard to measure the early stages of language: first words and use of communication. Their framework must still be worked on so that it includes these first types of communication.
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Please comment on this autism topic.
Responding to art therapy
May 18, 2010 by AnonymousArt Therapy is a mental health profession that requires a master degree, specializing in art therapy, from an accredited university or college. Art therapy uses the creative process of art making to improve and enhance the physical, mental, and emotional well-being of individuals of all ages. It is based on the belief that the creative process involved in artistic self-expression, guided by a professional art therapist, helps people to resolve conflicts and problems, develop interpersonal skills, manage behavior, reduce stress, increase self-esteem and self-awareness and achieve insight. (Please see the official website of the American Art Therapy Association at arttherapy.org.)
Art therapy may be especially beneficial for persons with autism because of its inherent ability to surpass language barriers. Children and adults can easily use "hands-on" expression to make therapeutic gains when traditional "talk therapy" is not feasible. In addition to be effective, art therapy is often enjoyable for clients and they look forward to it. Skill as an artist is NOT important. The therapeutic process is the focus in treatment, rather than the artistic product.
Art therapists in your area can be located by going to www.arttherapy.org. One may also search local Yellow Pages under Counselors, Licensed Professional Counselor, Therapists, Psychologists, and other mental health professions.
Responding to hippotherapy
Mar 29, 2010 by Anonymousspeech pathologists may also be hippotherapists. There are many pragmatic language functions that can be addressed via hippotherapy.
Social Skill Builder
Feb 16, 2010 by meganSocial Skill Builder, Inc. was founded by speech pathologists and sisters Jennifer Jacobs M.S. CCC-SLP andLaurie Jacobs M.A. CCC-SLP in 1999. Social Skill Builder provides appropriate tools for teaching social skills to children affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and other language/learning difficulties.
Because social interaction between people usually happens so quickly and naturally, it is hard to teach these skills to children with social competence difficulties. Social Skill Builder software programs allow children to dissect social situations in a safe and controlled environment, with the opportunity to replay scenarios for greater understanding. Such practice provides children with greater insight into social interactions and increases their confidence as they try out new skills in their real-world environments.
Social Skill Builder has created a series of learning tools, targeting preschool through young adults, which use real life video in computer assisted programs to teach social skills. The user is able to watch the video scenarios unfold and then make choices about what should be said or done next in a safe and controlled environment. These interactive features allow the child or adolescent to step inside familiar social situations to problem solve or predict outcomes. Motivating reinforcements and games make learning the social skills fun and entertaining. This unique training software provides a reference for language, behaviors and interactions that children can carry into the natural environment.
Social Skill Builder's products are designed for speech and occupational therapists, educators, counselors and psychologists, and parents who interact with children and adolescents ages 3-18 affected by ASDs and other learning/language deficits.
You can find more information regarding our software at www.socialskillbuilder.com
Responding to generalized imitation/sounds that goes with words besides oink with pig, moo with a cow, etc.
Feb 12, 2010 by Anonymousexample teaching the language therapist to dote on words that have long and short vowel meanings of two or more syllables, practice this step over and over with an essay and read aloud using breaths and syllable enunciations and differ them with nasal noises and use pictures of animals with sounds and nature that makes sounds of wind, raindrops, person makes sounds of things, stuff use familiar auto car sounds, honking and go over breathing normal with opinion of english syllable usage and preference of ongoing speech used as casual communicatives. Thanks kathy. p.s. syllables are great and have that ambience and effect on toning things down when we see a crisis arriving at the door, don't we? okay my favorite is chry san thi mum wow a mouthful and I do have to take a breath after forcing that word around.