Communication is one of the most significant challenges facing children with autism. Whether your child struggles to understand body language, voice their needs, or read facial expressions, a speech therapy program can help children of all ages develop strong communication skills and reduce social anxiety. Children who undergo autism speech therapy are more readily able to converse with peers, initiate conversation, understand other’s intentions, and know when to greet people with phrases such as “good morning” and “goodnight.” These children also develop use and understanding of melody and voice when speaking and reading aloud.
While autism is usually evident before age 3, language delays and communication difficulties can appear as early as ten months of age. Speech therapy programs vary and provide a wide range of individualized therapy programs for children struggling with language and communication.
At EMIT Therapeutics, we offer in-home autism therapy for children from 1.5 to 18 years of age and their families across the state of New Jersey. Learn more about our speech therapy by calling us today at 908.376.6278.
What Is Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy addresses a child’s challenges with language and communication. It can help improve verbal, nonverbal, and social communication and improve ease and understanding in day-to-day life. Speech therapy covers a wide range of communication disorders, from physical speech impediments such as stutters and lisps to language comprehension.
Speech-language therapists or pathologists assess and diagnose a child’s language and communication strengths and challenges while providing families with practice tools and support for consistent improvement and long-term success. Speech therapy may include:
- Exercises to strengthen mouth, jaw, and neck muscles for speech articulation
- Understanding body language
- Practicing clear speech sounds to increase or reduce sensitivity
- Matching emotions with facial expressions
- Matching pictures with their meaning
- Singing songs to practice articulation, rhythm, and sentence flow
- Practice with sign language, PECS, and speech output devices
- Learning to ask and answer questions
- Learning grammar and sentence structure
- Understanding speech pragmatics and idioms
Autism speech therapy also helps children develop conversation skills, understand abstract concepts, and helps strengthen their social skills. We often use this treatment in conjunction with social skills training therapy. With practice, children can verbally advocate for their needs and engage in individual and group conversations with ease.
Is Speech Therapy Right for Your Child?
Nearly 1 in 3 people with autism have communication skills challenges like a lack of creative language, difficulty understanding word context, and little understanding of words and symbols. Most children diagnosed with autism undergo speech therapy; even if they don’t struggle to articulate words, they likely have difficulty with word meaning and correct usage. For many, this can make school and home life more difficult for both the child and their family. Like learning any new language, speech therapy is most effective when begun at an early age.
Research shows that children with autism who undergo speech therapy are more likely to develop successful communication skills and understanding of language, leading to a relatively normal and fulfilling life.
Contact EMIT Therapeutics to Learn More
At EMIT Therapeutics, we believe in holistic autism treatment, which prepares your child for a rich home, school, and social life. Our treatments are tailored to each child’s needs through treatments such as:
- Social skills training
- Functional skills training
- ABA program
- Family therapy program
- Individual therapy program
In the comfort of your own home, we provide your child with the tools they need for a bright future. You’ll also find the support you need to help your child succeed and understand the world around them. If you are ready to support your child’s growth, contact us online today or at 908.376.6278 to begin speech therapy with one of our certified speech pathologists.