Many children with autism struggle to communicate. For some children, understanding body language or reading facial expressions may seem impossible. Others may have trouble articulating words and voicing their needs. These challenges may lead to isolation, frustration, and a lack of future independence. In some cases, communication challenges lead to bullying and difficulty building a social life because of a lack of language understanding. Tools like autism speech therapy programs can help children of all ages develop strong communication skills that prepare them for a safe, healthy, fulfilling adult life.
Children who engage in speech therapy are more prepared and willing to talk with peers, initiate conversation, and understand the world around them. Autism usually presents before age three, but delays in language and communication may present as early as ten months of age. When practiced early in life, autism speech therapy can benefit every aspect of a child’s life. Like many autism therapy programs, speech therapy is tailored to each child’s specific strengths and needs.
We offer in-home autism speech therapy for children ages 1.5 to 18 across New Jersey. Learn more about our speech therapy by calling us today at 844.983.0240.
What Happens in Speech Therapy?
Speech therapy can address a child’s strengths and challenges in both verbal and nonverbal communication. For children with autism, this may include training in body language, social cues, and word pronunciation. Speech therapy covers a wide range of communication disorders. As a result, trained speech-language therapists, also called pathologists, assess and diagnose each child’s language and communication skills. This treatment provides families with home practice tools to support and foster speech and language progress. Some speech therapy activities may include:
- Exercises to articulate words, strengthening jaw, tongue, and neck muscles
- Speech practice to develop clear sounds
- Visual aids to help children understand body language cues
- Games to match emotions and facial expressions
- Games to match pictures and meaning
- Singing
- Alternative speech such as speech devices and ASL
- Practice in grammar, sentence structure, and idioms
Autism speech therapy helps children develop communication skills, confidence, and independence. Pathologists focus on voicing needs and practicing clear communication. Speech therapy pairs well with functional skills training to help children with autism grow into successful independent adults.
Is Speech Therapy Right for Your Child?
Communication challenges affect nearly one-third of autistic people ranging from speech difficulty to misunderstanding signs, symbols, and body language. For some, these challenges hinder physical speech and self-expression. This may cause a child to feel isolated, frustrated, and helpless. In other cases, the inability to distinguish signs and body language may lead to unsafe situations and social misunderstanding.
Speech therapy is a standard tool for children with autism, whether they struggle with verbal language or not. The support of a speech pathologist allows families the tools to help children understand metaphor, symbolic language, and social idioms leading to social ease and comfort. Speech therapy builds confidence and opens communication channels between families, friends, and the outside world. Often speech therapy is most effective when begun at an early age. Research shows that children who undergo autism speech therapy are more likely to develop successful communication skills and grow into healthy, independent adults.
Contact EMIT Therapeutics for More Information
At EMIT Therapeutics, we believe in holistic autism treatment. Our treatments are tailored to each child’s needs through behavior analysis and early intervention programs like speech therapy. Our in-home services provide your child with the tools they need for a rich and fulfilling future while supporting your family as a whole. If you are ready to foster your child’s growth, contact us online today or at 844.983.0240 to begin speech therapy with one of our certified speech pathologists.
