Autism and Communication Difficulties

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a very wide-ranging developmental disorder that defies easy description and explanation. It is most broadly defined as a condition where children have some delay in developing the skills that allow them to be social and communicate with others, or can even not noticeably present these skills at all.
Currently, there aren't any medical tests that can diagnose autism. Usually a specially trained physician or psychologists administer autism-specific behavioural evaluations.
Often parents are the first to notice that their child is showing unusual behaviours such as failing to make eye contact, not responding to his or her name or playing with toys in unusual, repetitive ways.
Autism is not only found in children and sometimes the disorder is diagnosed later in life. This again is often in relation to learning, social or emotional difficulties. Like with young children, the diagnosis of adolescents and adults involves observation and sometimes an interview by a trained specialist. A diagnosis in an older person can bring relief to those who have struggled with difficulties with social interaction while not understanding the source of these difficulties. Once diagnosed with the disorder, it can also open access to therapies that can improve function in areas of difficulty and in turn improve the quality of relations and life.
One of the ways that many people have actively sought treatment for their child or adolescent is through a Speech Pathologist.
When a Speech Pathologist is assisting a patient with Autism Spectrum Disorder, it's their job to evaluate how well the child can communicate and socialise in every aspect. This analysis can take place at a clinic, as well as at home and other informal settings. It's not a quick process, as Autism Spectrum Disorder can have such varying degrees of intensity and presentation in a patient. A well-trained and experienced Speech Pathologist can gauge communicative and language skills effectively and will work to have a diagnosis as quickly as they can.
A Speech Pathologist can also pick up on social cues that suggest the presence of Autism Spectrum Disorder but could be misdiagnosed as a variety of other conditions. The prevalence of language and communication-based difficulties in the condition means that a good Speech Pathologist is well-equipped to 'connect the dots' and draw conclusions based on their required professional expertise.
The amount of sessions that one may need will vary, and it is always important to find the right person for treatment.

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Essential Autism Services

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) or Autism is the disorder of neural development. This is noted in different types of development disorders like verbal and non verbal communication, repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. The symptoms of ASDs become visible before a child is three years old and normally has a strong genetic basis. Though there is no treatment available for ASDs, early diagnosis and medical help can improve self- care and communication skills in children. Yet again this does not completely eradicate the disorder. There is a need for different types of autism services that helps overcome these disorders and improve development skills in a child.
Some services include music therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, behavior analysis and speech and language therapy. These services are tailored depending on the child's need and focuses on increasing the quality of the child's life. The purpose of such services is to inculcate education, employment and social care. This involves educating and developing individuals with autism, helping them find and keep a job and supporting them through the help of a community.
Standard health services include designing and maintaining a healthy individual by including a range of treatments and therapies that are listed below.
The main service done in treatment of autism is medications. This involves directly or indirectly consuming prescribed chemical substances. These chemical substances are used in the medical diagnose, cure, treatment or prevention of a disease. Another core service use of alternative medicines like physiotherapies, natural medicines and pet therapies. This is again done depending on the physiological need and requirement of the affected child. Diets, nutritional supplements and hormones are also given key importance. This is also used as a complementary or alternative medicine.
On the physical level, behavioral and developmental therapies are one of the main services that are used in a large and diverse range. Behavioral is instilled in the child through teaching and coaching by therapists, teachers, and parents. While developmental targets the core dearth in the child. Psychotherapeutic is also an important aspect in this service. Here the child comes to a complete understanding of his/her abilities, difficulties, motivations or worries. This is done in connection with the therapist.
Motor and sensory therapies are yet another important service. Motor therapy aims at improving the motor function of the whole body or parts while sensory therapy aim at improving the sensitivity to, one or more senses. In some cases the child affected with autism finds it difficult to communicate through speech. Alternative communication therapy is undertaken for such problems. They are trained to use external device, electronic or sign languages. In some instances alternative communication enhances the usual means of communication.
Although there is no complete cure for autism such autism services help the child to recover gradually. Most children with autism lack social support, relationships, employment opportunities or self-determination such services train and support the child to overcome such liabilities and live independently.

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Speech Therapy For Autistic Children

Since autism is a bio-neurological disorder, it has no predefined treatment. A series of cognitive therapies are prescribed to the individuals so that they can at least cope better within the society. One of them is the speech therapy as autistic children and adults have difficulty in communication with a third-party.
Speech pathological therapy is defined as the treatment procedure that treats the disorders of speech among children and adults. The patient may have difficulty in understanding, or delivering of certain speech sounds, language etc. There are different types of speech disorder. The therapy also varies according to the affected areas of the individual.
The Speech Therapy for Children
Initially starting with the toddlers, the speech problem can continue till adulthood. It is important to recognize the particular affected area before starting with the procedure. The child should be kept unaware of this treatment, as it proves itself a better solution this way. The treatment can be carried subtly with the help of the family members with activities and exercises that is integrated to improve the quality of the verbal communication.
Speech Therapy for the Toddlers
Since it is during this time that the child learns to speak, it is challenging to identify the problem in the communication system and delivering a treatment accordingly. Following are some of the techniques that the guardians can adopt and teach the toddler.
• Create a choice: The individuals with the language barrier often avoids to commune at all cost. A choice amongst it favorite toys forces an answer and prevents adapting to the language of signs.
• Repetition and Imitation: The superlative way that the caretakers and the family members can improve interaction is by repeating the words that she or he fails to pronounce. Breaking them up in smaller syllables or showing it by action often interests the child and thereby enables him or her to learn faster.
Speech Therapy for Juvenile Children
It's good to clear all speech related problems before the child starts school. This would encourage his confidence and self-esteem. The following activities can be used to eliminate the speech related problems.
• Art: Drawing may calm the child, but the child should accompany the same with a description.
• Toys: These objects can be introduced and thereby enable the child to get more comfortable with the pronunciation of the letters.
• Visual therapy with pictures: Images has always been found useful, as it is more appealing in appearance. The pictures can be flashed and the child may slowly master its problem.
These activities can all aid to improve the communicative ability in autistic children. The comprehension of these handicapped children is slow and they usually fail to cooperate with the therapy. This is the reason that the children should be handled with utmost care and the therapy should be interesting enough. Combining reading aloud sessions with tongue twisters and dialogs with art etc would definitely encourage the child to speak

Milan Zones has been reviewing the benefits of the speech therapy for Autism Treatment California. She understands that the treatment depends on the severity of the disease that the patient is suffering.

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Autism Therapy Methods

Until today, no real cure for autism has been detected. But an early and proper treatment could very much lessen the disruptive behavior and reduce the challenges parents and physicians deal with due to the disorder. An appropriate treatment might help autistic patients to learn, develop certain skills and get a specific rate of independency.

Autism can be treated by occupational therapy that tries to improve patient’s basic skills and functions like getting dressed on their own, bathing or eating alone. Body movements can also be helped by different physical exercises such as massaging.
A first step in the autism treatment is helping these children to modify and improve their behavior, which is usually lead by aggressiveness, repetitive and inappropriate actions. A new behavioral modification method is the Applied Behavior Analysis based on the main idea that patients are more likely to repeat a rewarded action than an ignored one. Autistic children are helped to learn hoe to sustain normal functions inside their environment.

The behavior modification methods deal with highly professional ways of inducing certain skills. All patients must learn how to react and behave in a society; every particular child needs a different therapy method according to his needs and interests. A full time intense care with a therapist and a caretaker is required for every single patient.

Most autistics cannot integrate senses and suffer either from a hypo- or from hyperactivity of the sensor integrating organs. Sensor therapy is usually performed by physical, occupational and speech therapists; they all must work together to erase wrong further accumulated sensor information and induce reorganized sensory knowledge.

In case of problems dealing with the touch sense, the autistic patient will be helped to learn working with different kind of materials and different textures. Listening to several sounds with different frequencies might help autistics integrate noises. Many autistic children suffer from a hyper-reactivity to sounds and even receive them as painful. Therapists must carefully observe and understand the sensor needs of the patient in order to establish an efficient treatment.

Autistic children are most often emotionally reduced and this estate affects also their social communication skills and desire. Therapists usually use a playing technique controlled by the child to help the improvement of their emotional development. Educational social stories are used to help patients understand their own feelings and manage with them. They are also taught to understand others ideas and points of view.

Another behavior modification method is the communication therapy to teach small children with autistic disorders how to develop their language and show elder patients how to use verbal communication. A sustained speech therapy could even help some of the children to use language to communicate with the others.

Autistic sufferers are taught hoe to express ideas, wishes or concerns by using pictures. The picture exchange communication system allows autistics to interact with others by pictures representing ideas, items or even activities.

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Different Methods Of Autism Care

Autism is a complex developmental disorder that has no cure. Though children are not cured from autism, early intervention and treatment allows those with autism to develop, learn and interact with others. Parents have several care options available to help them through the challenge of raising a child with autism.

Behaviour Modification:

Behaviour modification is a method of autism care that helps the autistic child and their parents promote appropriate behaviour while minimising unwanted behaviour. It is often broken into a few areas.

Applied behaviour analysis is the basic behaviour modification which works through a reward's system. This method of behaviour modification encourages an autistic child to start acting more appropriately by giving a treat or reward for doing the tasks or acting in a way that parents want.

Sensory integration therapy is another type of behaviour modification that works on helping an autistic child cope with the sensory information they encounter every day. Since many autistic children react to sensory information differently, such as getting upset over certain noises or colours, this type of behaviour modification works on improving the reaction to the stimulation.

Play therapy is another option among the behaviour modification treatment options parents might make use of. Play therapy focuses on the social interactions of autistic children and helps them learn appropriate ways to handle different social situations. Since autistic individuals often have difficulties with social situations, this type of treatment teaches how to interact and what is not appropriate.

Communication Treatment:

Communicating is a challenge for most autistic individuals, even those who are considered high functioning. Caring for an autistic child often requires incorporating some communication treatment.

Speech therapy is perhaps the most obvious communication therapy option available. Speech therapy focuses on teaching someone with autism how to speak. Unfortunately, some autistic individuals never begin speaking, even with therapy.

Fortunately, another type of communication treatment helps parents and autistic children communicate without using words. A picture exchange communication system, or PECS, is a method of communicating through pictures. Parents draw pictures to represent what they are asking or telling the child about and the autistic child draws pictures to show what they want or need.

Alternative Treatment:

Alternative care for those with autism varies depending on the parents and doctors. The methods are not necessarily backed by science, but doctors note that no one therapy is effective for every autistic individual so adding an option or two that is not medical might help some autistic children.

Dietary changes combined with vitamin supplements are not scientifically studied. Though studies are lacking, a healthy diet is always beneficial to childhood growth and development, so combined with therapy might help some autistic children.

Music therapy or vision therapy is sometimes helpful, particularly for sensory stimulation.

Some parents might consider adding yoga or similar lessons to a child's regimen to help develop fine motor skills.

The appropriate care and treatment for any autistic child varies. Each autistic child will react differently to different treatments, so no one treatment is effective for every child's needs.

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Speech and Language Therapy for Children With Autism

What is it?

The goal of speech therapy is to improve all aspects of communication. This includes: comprehension, expression, sound production, and social use of language (1). Speech therapy may include sign language and the use of picture symbols (2). At its best, a specific speech therapy program is tailored to the specific weaknesses of the individual child (1). Unfortunately, it can be difficult to create a child-specific, evolving, long-term speech therapy plan (1, 3).

The National Research Council describes four aspects of beneficial speech therapy-

(1) Speech therapy should begin early in a child's life and be frequent.

(2) Therapy should be rooted in practical experience in the child's life.

(3) Therapy should encourage spontaneous communication.

(4) Any communication skills learned during speech therapy should be generalizable to multiple situations (4).

Thus, any speech therapy program should include practice in many different places with many different people (2). In order for speech therapy to be most successful, caregivers should practice speech exercises during normal daily routines in the home, school, and community (1, 5). Speech therapists can give specific examples of how best to incorporate speech therapy throughout a child's day (6).

What's it like?

Speech therapy sessions will vary greatly depending upon the child. If the child is younger than three years old, then the speech therapist will most likely come into the home for a one hour session. If the child is older than three, then therapy session swill occur at school or in the therapist's office. If the child is school age, expect that speech therapy will include one-on-one time with the child, classroom-based activities, and consultations between the speech therapist and teachers and parents (2).

The sessions should be designed to engage the child in communication. The therapist will engage the child through games and toys chosen specifically for the child. Several different speech therapy techniques and approaches can be used in a single session or throughout many sessions (see below).

What is the theory behind it?

Children with autism not only have trouble communicating socially, but often also have problems behaving. These behavioral problems are believed to be at least partially caused by the frustration associated with the inability to communicate. Speech therapy is intended to not only improve social communication skills, but also teach the ability to use those communication skills as an alternative to unacceptable behavior (1).

Does it work?

Many scientific studies demonstrate that speech therapy is able to improve the communication skills of children with autism (1). The most successful approaches to speech therapy include: early identification, family involvement, and individualized treatment (3). There are many different approaches to speech therapy and most of them are effective. The table below lists some of the different approaches. In most cases a speech therapist will use a combination of approaches in a program.

Type of Speech Therapy

Definition

Does it Work?

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)

broad term for forms of communication that supplement or enhance speech, including electronic devices, picture boards, and sign language

Yes (2)

Discrete trial training

therapy that focuses on behavior and actions

Yes (1)

Facilitated communication

communication technique that involves a facilitator who places his hand over the patient's hand, arm or wrist, which is placed on a board or keyboard with letters, words or pictures

No (1, 3)

Functional communication training (FCT)

use of positive reinforcement to motivate the child to communicate

Yes (4)

Generalized imitation

child is encouraged to mimic the therapists mouth motions before attempting to make the sound

Yes (5)

Mand training

use of prompts and reinforcements of independent requests for items (referred to as mands)

Yes (6)

Motivational techniques

therapy techniques that focus on following the child's lead and capitalize on the child's desire to respond

Yes (7)

Peer mentors/circle of friends

use of children who are trained to interact with the autistic child throughout the day

Yes (8)

Picture exchange communication system

method of using picture symbols to communicate

Yes (9)

Relationship development intervention

trademarked treatment program that centers on the belief that individuals with autism can participate in authentic emotional relationships if they are exposed to them in a gradual, systematic way

Yes (8)

Sign language/total communication

language of hand shapes, movements, and facial expressions (especially useful for ages 0-3)

Yes (1)

Story scripts/social stories

actual stories that can be used or adapted to teach social skills

Yes (1, 8)

Is it harmful?

There are no reports of speech therapy being harmful.

Cost

The cost of speech therapy is covered by the government through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The amount of speech therapy provided in this setting may be suboptimal and thus should be supplemented with private therapy. Private speech therapy can be expensive (approximately $100/hour)

Speech therapy requires parental investment of time. In order to be most effective, parents should be fully integrated into the therapy program and should seek out opportunities to practice communication throughout the daily routine. With time, this should become a new way of life.

Resources

Autism is a condition covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Services covered by IDEA include early identification and assessment and speech language pathology (speech therapy). This law protects the rights of patients with autism and provides guidelines to assist in their education. It covers children from birth to age 21 (U.S. Department of Education Web site). Pediatricians can provide contact information for the state early intervention program (for children 0 to 3 years old). School districts will coordinate special services for children 3-21 years old.

Parents of nonverbal children should consider incorporating PECS.

Signing Times is one of many companies selling systems that help to teach children sign language.

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2006). Principles for speech-language pathologists in diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders across the life span: Technical report.

Charman T, Stone W. Social and Communication Development in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Early Identification, Diagnosis, and Intervention. New York, The Guilford Press, 2006, pp. 115-266.

Paul R, Sutherland D. Enhancing early language in children with autism spectrum disorders. In Volkmar FR, Paul R, Klin A, et al. Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Third Edition, Volume Two. Hoboken, John Wiley & Sons, 2005, pp 977-1002.

References

1. Goldstein, H. 2002. "Communication Intervention for Children with Autism: A Review of Treatment Efficacy." Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders v32 n5 p373-96 Oct 2002.

2. Diehl, S.F. 2003. "The SLP's Role in Collaborative Assessment and Intervention for Children with ASD." Topics in Language Disorders v23 n2 p95-115 Apr-Jun 2003.

3. Lord, C. 2000. "Commentary: achievements and future directions for intervention research in communication and autism spectrum disorders." J.Autism Dev.Disord. 30(5):393-398.

4. Committee on Educational Interventions for Children with Autism, C.L.a.J.P.M.E.2001. "Educating Children with Autism." Committee on Educational Interventions for Children with Autism, C.L.a.J.P.M.E. The National Academies Press.

Ref Type: Book, Whole

5. Koegel, L.K. 2000. "Interventions to facilitate communication in autism." J.Autism Dev.Disord. 30(5):383-391.

6. Safran, S.P., et al. 2003. "Intervention ABCs for Children with Asperger Syndrome." Topics in Language Disorders v23 n2 p154-65 Apr-Jun 2003.

7. Light, J.C., et al. 1998. "Augmentative and alternative communication to support receptive and expressive communication for people with autism." J.Commun.Disord. 31(2):153-178.

8. Keen, D., et al. 2001. "Replacing prelinguistic behaviors with functional communication." J.Autism Dev.Disord. 31(4):385-398.

9. Ross, D.E., and R.D. Greer. 2003. "Generalized imitation and the mand: inducing first instances of speech in young children with autism." Res.Dev.Disabil. 24(1):58-74.

© 2007 Healing Thresholds

Healing Thresholds Inc. authorizes you to view or download the material on the Healing Thresholds site if you include the following copyright notice: "Copyright © 2007, Healing Thresholds, Inc. All rights reserved"

Lara Pullen, PhD is the CEO of http://autism.healingthresholds.com. Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy is a free website and email newsletter dedicated to healing the lives of families touched by autism. They provide comprehensive therapy fact sheets, daily updates of autism therapy research and news, and a global directory of autism-related therapists and services. The 100 top autism therapies are listed and discussed at Healing Thresholds with comprehensive fact sheets provided for the top twelve therapies. This article, with links to layperson summaries of all referenced research, is available at: http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/speech-therapy.

Lara is a former research scientist in the field of immunology. She has been a medical writer since 1999 and has written on a wide range of topics from Alzheimer's disease to diabetes. She is the mother of three children, the youngest of whom has Prader-Willi Syndrome.

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Speech Therapy For Nonverbal Children

Children with autism not only may have trouble communicating socially, but may also have problems behaving. The goal of speech therapy is to improve all aspects of communication. Speech therapy sessions will vary greatly depending upon the child.

Many scientific studies demonstrate that speech therapy is able to improve the communication skills of children with autism and consequently many autism centers offer speech therapy. For example, the Marian Hope Center in Missouri, offers many therapies with a focus is on individual goals for each child. The center, open since 2007, offers play groups, play classes, and pre-kindergarten classes. Special education teachers work with children with autism on skills that will allow them to mainstream and/or become a part of the community. There is an emphasis on integrative therapy that combines treatments such as speech therapy and nutrition therapy.

Older Nonverbal Children

Speech therapy has also been found to be beneficial to older nonverbal children. Some professionals thought that if children did not speak by age 5, then they would not be able to speak. A review of speech therapy studies in older children found that some children were able to speak their first words between the ages of 5 and 13. There were no reports in the speech literature of anyone older than 13 years starting to speak. Even in the 5-13 year old age group, however, it was relatively rare for children to start speaking. For example, out of 183 nonverbal children in two studies, 11 spoke their first words between 5-13 years of age. Speech therapy was helpful for some children, and worked after other therapy options did not work. Other helpful therapies included behavioral therapy (ABA) techniques (reinforcement, shaping, fading), sign language use, special education programs, and computer-assisted learning were also helpful.

Receiving Speech Therapy

Autism is a condition covered under the United States' Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. The cost of this therapy is often covered by the government through this act. Unfortunately, sometimes there are lengthy delays before the government is able to supply the therapy that a child needs. A recent study examined the fate of the 14,623 children in 2004 who were under the age of three, lived in New York City, and who had developmental delays that required therapy services. In New York City, children with developmental delays are given an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) to define the services that are needed for that child. Ideally the child would start therapy services within 21 days of getting their IFSP. The authors of the study found that some children had to wait longer than 21 days to get therapies. The percentage of children who had to wait varied for different therapy services. The highest was 13% for speech therapy, and the lowest was 4% for physical therapy. People in this study who lived in low-income or Spanish-speaking neighborhoods had more service delays than people who live elsewhere.

Please visit Healing Thresholds to learn more about speech therapy and other autism therapies.

Lara Pullen, PhD is the co-founder and CEO of http://autism.healingthresholds.com. Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy is a free website and email newsletter dedicated to healing the lives of families touched by autism. They provide comprehensive therapy fact sheets, daily updates of autism therapy research and news, and a global directory of autism-related therapists and services. A comprehensive fact sheet about speech therapy -- plus research summaries, news, and comments -- is available at http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/speech-therapy.

Lara is a former research scientist in the field of immunology. She has been a medical writer since 1999 and has written on a wide range of topics from Alzheimer's disease to diabetes. She is the mother of three children, the youngest of whom has Prader-Willi Syndrome.

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Facts About Autism Treatment

Autism treatment is not considered to be a fix-all, a cure. People diagnosed with developmental disorders can expect to have to live out their lives with them. Treatment is for therapeutic purposes. Treatment is given in the hope of providing these individuals with coping methods, and skills needed to successfully handle life's situations as easily, and comfortable as possible. Treatment takes on the form of therapy sessions both one-on-one and in a group setting. It involves speech pathology therapy that focuses on not only the semantics of verbal communication but the psychological and emotional characteristics as well. Treatment can also take the form of standardized classroom instruction-these classes are special education classrooms that specifically are meant to educate individuals with developmental disorders.

Depending on the severity of the symptoms a child may be able to participate in the general setting of classes at his/her school. High functioning autistic, while still faced with the awkward social skills and awkward communication skills do have some ability to successfully participate in group setting such as public school classrooms with little or no extra help or attention. However, they still look at things in a different way and will probably come to understand and learn them in a different way as well. Because of this difficulties are more likely to occur than not and teachers and parents need to be aware of this. Children with developmental disorders are prone to bullying and negative relationships with their peers. It is difficult for children, especially those at a young age to be accepting of something so drastically different from their selves.

Most will act out because of fear of the unknown. It is necessary for teachers and caregivers to teach children a more accepting attitude of change and difference. It is with open minds, patience, and compassion that we can live together peacefully. Hiding anything different from the world is not the best course of action. However, in some cases where the severity of autism is extreme it is beneficial to everyone involved to place the child in an educational environment geared toward his/her disorder. This doesn't mean ostracize them from the general public but simply provide them with a stable environment in which they can learn to handle said general public, comfortably.

Speech pathology therapy can be useful in helping an autistic child to build a better communicative repertoire. Communication is often difficult for autistic children no matter the severity of their symptoms.

They do not understand and react to social, environmental, emotional, intuitive cues. Due to this autistic children can develop antisocial tendencies that can unknowingly ostracize themselves from their peers. Therapy can help them to develop communication skills they are comfortably with and able to use in any situation. This can actually help them to better understand those around them which will lead to success in everyday life. It can also help autistic children to make friends-which can be of great benefit to them.

Again, autism treatment is not meant to be a cure. But it can help to alleviate the major negative characteristics of the disorder. It will help a child live as best a life as possible for him/her.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula on Autism please visit childdevelopmentmedia.com.

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An Enigma Called Autism - Its Causes and Cures

The human brain is so complex that man is incapable of deciphering the intricate way it is wired around. A minuscule disorder in the brain renders him incapable of normal behavior, leading scientists and researchers to give it several names like autism, the Asperger's syndrome, multiple personality disorder, schizophrenia etc., based on varying degrees of brain disorders.

Millions of dollars have been spent on research and diagnosis, but autism still remains a puzzle and an enigma because the autism spectrum covers diverse forms, ranging from acute behavioral, social and communication disorders to violent mood swings, hypertension coupled with precocious talents and high-functioning skills, on account of which it is hard to understand the root causes.

Cause for autism is mostly genetic and is sourced from the human brain, which scientists have been unable to conclusively prove otherwise. There is wide speculation about geeks who are brilliant tech people to be 'on the autistic spectrum' as they usually appear to lack social niceties, like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, the stereotypical geek, who appears unmoved by his girlfriend's obvious frustration with his obsessive personality.

Heritability is another cause, when one of the parents is autistic, there is a risk of siring an autistic child though it is not clear which genes could be responsible. Complicated childbirths, like a messed up forceps delivery, is also considered responsible in rare cases. In recent studies, the MMR vaccine has been linked to the cause of autism though there has been no scientific evidence of the same, although it is a cause of great concern that autism in the US has increased to colossal proportions.

Whatever may be the case, if a child is diagnosed early with autism there are many proven physio, phycho and socio therapies that can be effectively applied, to help children lead fulfilling lives free of social stigma. Autistic children interact differently that may appear awkward, clumsy or even offensive. They avoid eye contact and appear lost in a world of their own.

Timely and appropriate therapies can do wonders to their disposition and behavior, as well as develop their motor skills. There are a range of treatments, to name a few are music, drama and art therapy, that is creative and fun-filled. Occupational, Speech-language and Behavior therapy to treat specific symptoms, Development therapies and the Tomatis Auditory therapy that uses an 'electronic ear' in order to stimulates the brain-ear-voice connecting sensors. These therapies help autistic children to follow social norms that are considered important in a regular world, as well as show them ways of expunging their feelings, whether violent or otherwise.

To know more about these therapies and select the best option for your child, visit my blog http://childmotorskills.blogspot.com

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Autism 101 - Common Therapies Used For Autism

Autism affects each child differently. Some children with autism can live in mainstream society with very little struggles or disruptions to their daily lives. It isn't that way for all children though. Some children have severe difficulties even coping with life. Their senses overwhelm them, their problems consume their daily lives and the lives of those who care for them and living in general is just plain difficult.

It doesn't have to be that way though. In fact with modern treatments, many children can reach a level of normalcy and reduce the struggles of living with autism.

One such method is occupational therapy. No, this doesn't mean helping them find a job, it means providing therapy for them that will help them with their daily tasks. This method of therapy can help them learn to cope in the world around them, and can give the child a sense of control and empowerment they may not have had previously.

Another therapy that can help is speech therapy. Since many autistic children have little to no communication skills, this can be a vital part of helping your child cope. And for some children, it even gives them back their voices and vocabularies that autism may have robbed them of.

Another helpful tool if speech therapy is not working, is teaching the child sign language. This can give a child who has no voice a method to communicate. A method to verbalize with the world their wants and needs. It can be an asset for all children with autism to learn to sign, in case at some point in the future
they stop talking altogether.

Play therapy can be a wonderful tool as well. Getting down to ground level and letting them bring you into their world of play can be a great learning tool. It can help them learn to interact socially as well as show you ways that you can interact with them, that won't upset them or cause a meltdown.

As with any disability, there is hope for children with autism. They don't have to remain locked in their own little worlds forever. With the proper therapy and help, they can regain their lives and live a much more fulfilling happy life. The above mentioned therapies are just a few of many ways to help your autistic child. Being a supportive and caring parent, with a high level of patience can go a long way to make this world a little more hospitable for your loved one.

Autism affects each child differently. Find out more tips to help your autistic child, click here!

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Children Speech Disorders - What Are the Types of Speech Disorders?

Articulation is the most common type of speech disorder among children. Disorders of articulation are characterized by the omission, distortion, or substitution of speech sounds.

"Tootie" instead of "cookie," "wed" instead of "red," "thop" or "top" instead of "stop" - these are examples of common articulatory errors that can be easily overcome with a speech therapy at home.

Sometimes only one or two sounds are defective, but sometimes there are so many errors that the speech is unintelligible to everyone with the possible exception of the parents.

Voice problems are not as common as articulatory problems. They include voices that are too high or too low in pitch, too loud or not loud enough, voices that are harsh, breathy, nasal or otherwise unpleasant, and voices that are monotonous - that is, lacking in flexibility of expression.

Problems of the understanding and use of words constitute another speech or language disorder. Words, of course, are symbols; they "stand for" or represent something. What the word "cat" means to you depends upon all of the past experiences that you associate with that symbol.

A child may know that this small animal likes milk, catches mice, has soft fur, and purrs when it is petted and still be unable to associate or "connect" the word "cat" with the animal.

Children who have difficulty in understanding or using words are sometimes referred to as "aphasoid."

Stuttering is probably the speech disorder that causes parents the most anxiety. Some writers believe that it is this very anxiety that contributes to the child's problem.

This disorder is usually thought of in terms of hesitations in the flow of speech, repetitions of sounds, words, or phrases, and facial grimaces or tensions. Although there is much more involved in the problem of stuttering than a description of the symptoms, it is these observable symptoms that cause parents to become concerned.

The classification of speech disorders given above is based on symptoms, without consideration for the cause. Under this system a child with a cleft palate, or other physiological defect, would be said to have an articulation problem, a voice problem, or both, depending upon his own speech needs.

Are you worried about your child's speech problems? Do you want to know more about children speech therapy and how to improve your child's speech at home? See my website: http://www.ImproveYourChildsSpeech.com

From Jane M. Bishop

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Jane_M._Bishop

Facts About Autistic Children

If your child has been diagnosed with autism you are not alone. Nearly one in every one hundred and ten children are diagnosed with autism. That makes autism more common than juvenile diabetes, pediatric AIDS, and childhood cancers combined all together. Every year, this rate goes up 10%-17%.

Boys are more likely than girls are to have autism. However, there is no known cause at this time but there are some facts that are known. No two children have the same symptoms. There is no set pattern to explain why some children have it and some do not. Possibilities of the cause are believed to be the time of exposure, the environment in which the child lives, and genetics.

The symptoms of autism is displayed in three areas; social interaction, language, and behavior. When a child has a severe case of autism they are not able to interact or communicate with others at all.

Social Skill Symptoms:

The child may have poor eye contact, fails to respond to their name when called, appears as though they cannot hear you talking to them, doesn't want to be cuddled or held, doesn't respond to others feelings, and prefers to play alone.

Language Symptoms:

The child doesn't talk after the age of two, shows signs of developmental delays after thirty months, stops talking and loses what speech they already learned, doesn't make any eye contact when making a request to you, when he speaks it is with an abdominal tone - with no elevation in his voice, doesn't start a conversation and cannot keep one going, may report certain words or phrases but cannot use them in a sentence.

Behavior Symptoms:

Performs repetitive movements such as rocking back and forth, develops a certain routine or ritual, gets upset if there is a change in his routine, moves constantly, fascinated by the parts of an object, and sensitive to light and sound.

Watch for signs as your baby develops. If you notice anything different or if you notice that they started developing normal but now they don't seem to be progressing, call your doctor. It may not be anything to worry about but you won't know until you call. Since there are not definite signs of autism doctors learn about it through a series of tests that are both physical and developmental. Once you get the results in you and your doctor can go over the results. After your child has been diagnosed with autism you will need to learn how you can best handle it. There are two types of autism low functioning and high functioning. If a child is diagnosed with low functioning they will require support and assistance from now on. However if a child is high functioning they will be able to live on their own and care for themselves.

As you begin to read books, newspapers, or read articles online you will see the increased number of autistic children and how their families have turned things around and made the most from their child's diagnoses. Autism is something that will touch the lives of everyone because it is growing so quickly. Until there is a reason for it or until there is a cure, if a child is diagnosed with parents can support their child and they need to get support too.

For the latest videos and training information on child development as well as books and curricula please visit www.childdevelopmentmedia.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maxine_Wagner

The Effects of Speech Therapy on Behavior at Home, School, and in the Community

Children with autism not only have trouble communicating socially, but may also have problems behaving. The goal of speech therapy is to improve all aspects of communication. For example, sometimes children with autism have trouble understanding when it is acceptable to use bossy or polite requests. Speech therapy can help children to learn what sort of tone they should use when speaking.

Speech therapy sessions will vary greatly depending upon the therapist and the child. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is one type of speech therapy that is used for children who do not imitate the sounds of others. For these children, several speech therapy methods may help them learn to speak. AAC is often the first strategy to help them learn enough communication to be able to have some social interactions. There are five other methods that may also help these children:
1) avoid pressuring children to speak, and using puppets and play as encouragement instead;
2) imitating the child and they may start imitating others;
3) using exaggerated sounds and speaking slowly;
4) using visual feedback and touch to help teach skills; and
5) adding exercises for mouth movements that are specific to speech.

Speech Therapy Improves Behavior

Many scientific studies demonstrate that speech therapy is able to improve the communication skills of children with autism. In addition, many children also show improved behavior after speech and language therapy. A 2009 survey of the parents of 210 preschool children asked the parents about their expectations before speech and language therapy, and then asked about any improvements in their children after therapy. Parents said play, social skills, and confidence, as well as speech, improved after therapy. The child's behaviors at home, in school, and in public were also better. While these improvements in behavior are not generally used by speech therapists to indicate success, they can be very meaningful to the child and parents.

Speech Therapists Enter the Community

Speech therapists can also be a wonderful resource for people offering services to children with autism. For example, Aprile Mickeys at Haircuts for Peanuts in Rochester, New York specializes in cutting the hair of children with special needs. Haircuts for Peanuts has always been a fun place for children (and even their older siblings), complete with a circus-theme and lots of toys. All of the stylists have been trained by speech and occupational therapists to work with children with autism and other special needs. Each of the hair cutting stations has toys especially for children with special needs and the stylists have learned techniques to calm children who might be anxious.

Learning More About Speech Therapy

Autism is a condition covered under the United States' Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. The cost of speech therapy is often covered by the government through this act.

Please visit Healing Thresholds to learn more about speech therapy and other autism therapies.

Lara Pullen, PhD is the co-founder and CEO of http://autism.healingthresholds.com. Healing Thresholds Autism Therapy is a free website and email newsletter dedicated to healing the lives of families touched by autism. They provide comprehensive therapy fact sheets, daily updates of autism therapy research and news, and a global directory of autism-related therapists and services. A comprehensive fact sheet about speech therapy -- plus research summaries, news, and comments -- is available at http://autism.healingthresholds.com/therapy/speech-therapy.

Lara is a former research scientist in the field of immunology. She has been a medical writer since 1999 and has written on a wide range of topics from Alzheimer's disease to diabetes. She is the mother of three children, the youngest of whom has Prader-Willi Syndrome.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lara_Pullen,_PhD

Is The Speech Therapy Helping Your Child?

Speech therapy is a long term procedure depending on the disorder. Speech therapy is a popular method of treatment that involves learning new speech techniques (such as speaking syllable-by-syllable) and modifying current ways of speaking (such as reducing the rate of speech). It may also include psychological counseling as a way of boosting self-esteem and reducing the tendency of avoiding fearful situations such as speaking in front of a group.

Speech therapy is usually grouped with the other two but does not involve as much physical injury. Speech-language pathologists and audiologists help people who have speech and hearing defects.

Speech therapy is offered to help inpatients and outpatients. Licensed speech therapists are available seven days per week to diagnose and treat speech disorders. Speech therapy is intended to not only improve social communication skills, but also teach the ability to use those communication skills as an alternative to unacceptable behavior. Speech therapy is conducted individually or in small groups to work toward achieving speech goals.

Speech therapy is a very important part of the treatment for VCD. Special exercises increase the awareness of abdominal breathing and relax the throat muscles. Speech therapy is available free under and in most areas you can refer yourself, without having to see your GP first. You may be offered individual therapy, group therapy or both.

Speech therapy is a painstaking process, but it can be as rewarding as it is frustrating. Tremendous attention to detail and sharp focus are necessary in the evaluation of the patient's progress.

Speech therapy is apparently an effective treatment for stammering, whereas oxprenolol appears to be of no value when given routinely; oxprenolol may be of value, however, in very stressful conditions. Speech therapy is considered to be special education.

Even though ideally it is designed to provide a free, appropriate public education, children attending private schools are covered under the law too. Speech therapy is often warranted to correct speech production disorders.

Standardized tests are often used to assess sound in the initial, medial and final position of words and in conversation based on the needs of the individual child. Speech therapy is provided to discuss typical responses from the injection and also to counsel the patient regarding vocal quality between injections.

The clinics are usually held once per month, depending on patient need. Speech therapy is offered from early education through 12th grade. You can receive these services by first testing and then getting an IEP (individualized education plan) for you child.

Speech Therapy is the treatment of disorders of speech and language and swallowing. Speech Therapy improves ability to communicate as effectively as possible, and to swallow as safely as possible.

Speech therapy is provided in all settings including inpatient, outpatient, Subacute, home health and hospice. Speech therapy is widely available. Most approaches attempt to decrease the rate of speech either under the direction of the speech therapist or with the use of a metronome.

Speech therapy is not covered for people with certain diagnoses, including autism, by most insurance companies. Because these insurance companies have already decided that our children,will never catch up in speech.

Speech Therapy is an allied branch of health sciences which cures the disorder of speech, voice, and language of a person. The branch speech therapy and audiology has become a promising career option in recent times