Autism is a developmental neurological disorder that affects the development of a child in the early years.
This disorder affects a child's ability to communicate, socialize, and participate in imaginative games. In fact, these children are in their own world. They cannot interact with others. In autism, we have a range of symptoms and problems, and each child's symptoms may be different from other children with autism.
One of the main nuclei of autism spectrum disorders is impaired verbal and nonverbal communication and impaired social interactions.
In nonverbal communication, there may be problems with gestures, gestures, body language, and the use of symbols, and verbal communication in these children may indicate speech delays or abnormal patterns of speech and language development. It is mentioned. Children with autism have difficulty using language and use it, which means that these children cannot use language with social intent, and many of these children also have repetition of speech or acolysis, which means that they immediately hear what they have heard. Or repeat after the speaker for a while. Another problem with these children is that they do not take turns showing that they behave differently from others in group conversations and games. In children with autism spectrum disorder, perceptual language development is impaired while they have a healthy hearing test. These children can't respond to their names, they have delays and problems in carrying out instructions, they don't understand complex sentences, they don't understand proverbs and allusions, they may also be able to read early but what they read Do not understand. These children do not act properly in narration and conversation, and in describing events and discourses, that is, they cannot recount their memories or the things they have done during the day. Children have speech and speech problems, which means that the rhythm of their speech is artificial or mechanical, and in addition to disturbing other senses in the body, the children's sense of taste and smell is also disturbed, which causes them to eat certain foods and fruits. Refuse or are constantly eating tasty foods or stimulating the mouth with your hands or toys, so hypersensitivity or numbness is seen in the mouth of these children.
Speech and language delay
echolalia word repetition
pragmatic practice of language
narration storytelling
speech act self-motivated speech
perceptual language
suprasegmentally speech
apraxia
Auditory processing audio processing
Theory of mind reading
Reading
Social skills Social skills
Pointing
Imitation
Production articulation
Hyper lexia
Oral motor oral skills
Dysphagia Swallowing Disorder
The role of speech therapy in the treatment of autism
Autism can affect speech and language, communication and social skills in many ways, so speech therapy is a major part of treating autism. Most speech therapists diagnose autism and treat the resulting speech and language disorders and refer them to other specialists. They guide the flow of treatment. When autism is diagnosed, speech therapists evaluate the best way to improve conversation and improve a person's quality of life. Some people do not have autism or have a problem with speech. A speech therapist introduces alternative speech methods. Through speech therapy, children learn how to use language to communicate, which includes knowing how to maintain conversation, verbal coordination, and nonverbal cues from others.
Joint attention
During the second half of the first year of life, the child naturally uses a combination of gesture, voice, and gaze. A challenging point of communication in children with autism is to use shared attention during the pre-linguistic stage. Joint attention requires orientation and attention to the social partner, and then drawing the other person's attention to the object of interest to share the experience.
In general, shared attention is the basis of communication skills. Common attention means that the child can focus on the object or activity with the parents. For example, when the parents are next to the child and turn the pages of a childish book and an attractive picture and explain about it by pointing to the pictures, the child should be able to follow the pictures and topics of the book at the same time as the parents. In children with autism, of course, it is best to start the shared attention skill first with their favorite toys and activities, and gradually add new ones.
Aquilia echoes or repeats
Many children with autism spectrum disorders who have limited verbal skills may use Aquilia , which is one of the most silent features of language deviation in autism.
Aquilia is the repetition of words, phrases, or parts of speech by others, which is one of the symptoms of children on the autism spectrum.
Aquilia is divided into two types:
Immediate Aquilia
It follows the previous statements directly and usually shares linguistic and metalanguage features.
Delayed Aquilia:
Refers to repeating what he has heard elsewhere, for example, his parents have already repeated in another place in response to the fact that he should not do anything. Sometimes this echo can be due to a TV show or movie.
It should be noted that both immediate and delayed echo can be used in communication function in such a way that they can be directed towards purposeful speech.
Storytelling
The ability to produce narrative is a developed form of social dialogue or monologue that develops during the preschool years. In this regard, several cases should be considered. Background, features, problems and results.
In addition to structural criteria, cognitive application aspects such as how to adapt to the needs of the listener should also be considered.
Conversational storytelling skills reflect socio-emotional, cognitive, and language skills that can be challenging in people with autism spectrum disorders.
Children with high-level autism have these characteristics during the school years
Fewer narratives in conversational context
Rely on clues from the listener to correct information
Less complexity and connection
Refrain from interrupting the topic and taking advantage of related comments
General methods of pre-language skills
Naming objects
Name different objects around the child. This will allow the child to hear the word over and over again in a familiar environment. For example, if you repeat the word shoe at different times, not only can it be used for shoes, but it can also be used for labeling mom's shoes, dad's shoes, and so on.
Imitation
It is one of the most important abilities that plays an important role in the development of children's language skills. This ability in the first two years of a child's life to learn basic words and grammar rules is very important. Adults must first imitate the child's actions, such as involuntary voice-making, so that in later stages the child will be able to make new voices from those around him.
Environmental education
Environmental training facilitates communication skills training. You or the therapist must organize the environment in such a way that the environmental conditions are completely normal and suitable for the use of the target words. For example, when the child is wearing his clothes, he can use that opportunity and teach words such as shoes, socks, wearing, clean, and so on.
Patterning
Before you ask the child to do something, tell the child or show what you want from him / her. For example, if you ask the child to kiss another child, you kiss the child and explain what you did to the child.
Talk to yourself
A technique you can easily use to talk to yourself. That is, explain what you are doing. For example, when you are cooking, you can use phrases that the child understands to describe what you are doing. I am mushrooming.
Parallel speech
Parallel speech is an explanation of the activity that the child is doing. Explain everything the child does in a language that they can understand. Ali put the cube on top of each other. The cube fell.
Using speech along with the use of gestures
Use physical postures to help your child understand what is being said. For example, when you tell a child to go out, you can point to the door with your hand while saying it so that the child understands.
Verbal speech with pictures
Use aids to help your child understand what you are saying. For example, if you ask your child to eat something, show him a picture of a few foods to choose from and tell him his name (for example, cheese, apples, etc.)
Guide learning
This strategy involves drawing the child's attention to the environment. For example, when the child is learning the word below and is able to go under the table, you can ask him to put his bear under the table.
Repeat the phrase
If the child does not understand what you mean, try to repeat it in simpler language. For example, if you ask the child to push the car and the child does not answer you, say it again in another way, for example, walk the car, push it.
What is the use of social stories for children with autism?
Social stories were introduced in 1991 by Carol Gray to help people with autism spectrum disorders gain a better understanding of behaviors and social interactions. A social story is a brief description of a particular situation, situation, or activity, and includes brief and clear information about the expected events and their causes in such a situation. This method explains to other people without autism spectrum disorders the causes and reasons for the behaviors and reactions of people with this disorder, and thus provides more opportunity to understand the reactions and behaviors of these people.
A social story usually has a simple story. The present tense is the present tense and expresses a subject that is important and valuable to the individual.
Application of social stories
- In order to develop self-help skills such as doing personal tasks, creating social skills such as greeting
- Supporting people with disabilities in order to deal with changes in the environment, such as relocation
Strengthening the self-confidence of children with autism
As a behavioral strategy. For example, what to do when angry?
