The Direct Instruction language program may be helpful for teaching spoken language to school children with autism.
The study involved three children (10-11 years old) with autism or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). All three children had very poor language development. The children received language therapy with a type of Direct Instruction program called Language for Learning. The children attended sessions for 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week, for about 3 months. All three children improved with Direct Instruction speech therapy. The children were able to correctly say words to identify certain objects.
Autism Therapy: language therapy
definition of language therapy: not yet defined.
No Factsheets to Display
- Autism Research, by Paul, R., Chawarska K., Cicchetti D., and Volkmar F., published in 2008, summarized Sep 24, 2009
Doctors who gather information about language skills in 2-year-old children may be better able to catch autism at an early age.
Researchers compared toddlers with autism (2 years old) with poor language skills to toddlers with autism with better language skills. They tested children's skills again at about 4 years of age. The children with worse language skills at 2 years old also had worse language skills at 4 years old. The children had poor skills in nonverbal and verbal language, receptive language, symbolic play, and response to joint attention. The authors said that it can be hard to diagnose autism in children less than 2 years old. These results show that language problems at 2 years of age may be early symptoms of the language difficulties seen in older children. The authors hope that language therapy at younger ages might help the children very much.
- Topics in Language Disorders, by Prelock, PA, and Hutchins TL, published in 2009, summarized Sep 2, 2009
Family-centered care programs may help guide research for children with autism. Parents and caregivers play an important role in therapy success for their children with autism. Family-centered care encourages caregivers to be part of all aspects of therapy. This article describes how this approach may be very helpful for research studies. During research studies, parents and caregivers may be involved in planning and collecting information. For example, researchers for a social stories study asked parents about their children's needs before designing the therapy research plan. They also asked parents to keep diaries during the research study to gather more information about how well the children did at home. The authors think that researchers got more information from their research when they include the caregivers.
- Topics in Language Disorders, by Beatson, JE, published in 2008, summarized Aug 28, 2009
Applied family-centered practice may be helpful for children with autism and their families during speech and language therapy.
Applied family-centered practice is a specific intervention developed in the late 1980s that encourages therapists to include parents and families as part of the therapy program. Families are encouraged to participate and collaborate with therapists. This article describes the experiences of the Vermont Rural Autism Project. This project was a 3-year project that started as a family-centered program with specially-trained speech therapists. The author described challenges and successes using the program. The authors note that it was hard to work with some families who were criticizing or not helping. Some families had complex relationships that were challenging for the therapists. The author also told stories of therapists and families who connected in special ways that helped the child a lot.
The Boling Center is one of the first places in Tennessee parents go when they suspect their child has autism. The Boling Center, at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, provides examinations by developmental pediatricians as well as speech and language therapy and applied behavior analysis (ABA). The support group the Boling Center recommends for parents is the Autism Society of the Mid-South. Another resource for Tennessee parents is the Harwood Center, a school that helps kids with developmental delays from birth to 5 years of age. Their goal is to mainstream each child to the best of his ability.The Boling Center is one of the first places in Tennessee parents go when they suspect their child has autism. The Boling Center, at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center, provides examinations by developmental pediatricians as well as speech and language therapy and applied behavior analysis (ABA). The support group the Boling Center recommends for parents is the Autism Society of the Mid-South. Another resource for Tennessee parents is the Harwood Center, a school that helps kids with developmental delays from birth to 5 years of age. Their goal is to mainstream each child to the best of his ability.
Read original article: Boling Center Focuses On Autism Awareness, Help
On a regular basis, we highlight speech and language therapy as an important early intervention tool. But what are some of the signs to look for to see if your child needs it? Researchers have compiled a list of the 25 words every toddler should know. They explained that if a child gets to be 2 years old and doesn't know the words, it may indicate a problem, such as autism, hearing issues, or perhaps the child is just a late bloomer. The words include names of toys, food, animals, mommy, daddy, and bye bye. The Language Development Survey consists of 310 words that scientists say toddlers should be familiar with. If a child knows less than 50 of the words, there may be a problem; the average child will know 150 of the words. Professor Leslie Rescorla developed the studies. She explained, "But if the child is still struggling for words by two and a half, they should consider help such as speech therapy, and certainly not put this off past the age of three."
Read original article: The 25 "Must Have" Words Every Child Should Know by the Age of Two
Dotun Akande, the founder of Patrick Speech and Languages Center in Lagos, believes that early intervention is the best chance for children with autism in her country. Akande, mom of a child with autism, works to reach out and educate as many families as possible. She explains, “Parents too should know that having a child that has this challenge is not the end of the world. Early intervention is the key; so, all you need do is to help that child come out of that problem.” Patrick Speech offers interventions that include speech and language therapy, behavioral modification therapy, OT, social skills training, vocational training, academics, music therapy, hydrotherapy, and sensory integration.
Read original article: Early Intervention is the Key to Managing Autism Well
We have written about the difficulties that some rural families with autism have in finding nearby therapies and special education resources. In an Oklahoma community, two cooperatives have formed to provide services to a number of schools for less than the cost the schools could provide services themselves. Services provided by the Cherokee County Cooperative and the Cherokee County Interlocal Cooperative include: special education teacher salaries, speech and language therapy, visual therapy, cognitive behavior therapy, and a host of other opportunities for kids with special needs.
Read original article: Cooperatives Provide Key Resources to Rural Schools
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Responding to insurance
Sep 13, 2011 by AnonymousWe have private insurance for which we pay a premium and deductible. It covers occupational therapy, language therapy, physical therapy and psychological therapy but at a combined 75 visits for calendar year. This is not for each therapy but rather 75 total for all together. Thus, even with illness or vacation times taken, we do not have enough alotted time slots covered to continue therapy for a full year. Once we run out of the 75 covered slots, we must pay out of pocket. We pay a copay of $20 per visit. So, for example, if my child sees a language/speech therapist and the ot once per week it is $40 out of pocket until we hit the magic 75 allowed under the insurance. Then we woud have to pay $150 for one therapy and $160 for the other per week. The psychology/psychiatrist appointments are monthly. All of these therapies would be available more frequently and I am told by the therapists very helpful if we could do more than once a week for 1/2 a session but we cannot afford to do this. The children on the autism spectrum benefit greatly from these therapies and it is something that should be covered under the insurance policies, just as any health or mental health issue should be.
Hippotherapy and Speech Pathology
Nov 4, 2010 by AnonymousPlease note that the American Hippotherapy Association recognizes Speech-Language Pathologists, as well as, OTs and PTs as trained hippotherapy providers.
This is particularly important in that Speech-Language therapy is the most common therapy in use for individuals with autism.
concerned friend
Oct 1, 2007 by AnonymousIs it possible that a child that has already been screened for autism could be wrongly diagnosed? My very good friend has a 4 year old boy who is highly intelligent (reads, knows books by memory, etc.) but has low social, language, and motor skills (compared to his peers). He was not able to potty train until he was given a visual guide from one of his teachers (images on the steps to go to the bathroom). He is also set on his routines (i.e. mom has to sing the same song and always use the same bib so that he eats the only kind of cereal he'll eat), and tends to sing very loud in social settings. He shows no interest in playing pretend and is not stimulated by children a little older than he. He receives language therapy and his parents know they need to help him with social interaction, but no other type of treatment.
Are these symptoms "normal" for a child who is highly intelligent? Should he be re-screened or should parents trust the diagnosis given to them by their school system?
Illinois
Jul 13, 2007 by AnonymousJewish Child & Family Services is an early childhood autism academy in Northbrook IL.
The Good Shepherd Center in Hazel Crest IL offers a variety of programs, including pre-school, developmental therapy, speech & language therapy, and respite care.