Autism: From a
“Speechie”
Perspective
By Karen P. Guerra, M.S., CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
ANXIOUS??
CONFUSED??
UNCOMFORTABLE??
HELP IS HERE!!
WHAT IS AUTISM?

Autism is defined by the Autism Society Of
America (ASA) as: "Autism is a complex
developmental disability that typically appears
during the first three years of life and is the
result of a neurological disorder that affects the
normal functioning of the brain, impacting
development in the areas of social interaction and
communication skills. Both children and adults
with autism typically show difficulties in verbal
and non-verbal communication, social
interactions, and leisure or play activities.
MAIN UMBRELLA TERM IS “PDD”

Autism is one of five disorders that falls under
the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental
Disorders (PDD), a category of neurological
disorders characterized by “severe and pervasive
impairment in several areas of development."
SOME CHARACTERISTICS
MAY INCLUDE:
May exhibit self injurious behavior when upset
i.e. biting selves or banging heads.
An overall difficulty interacting with others.
 No fear of danger.
 Over or under sensitivity to pain.
 May avoid eye contact with you.
 May prefer to be by him/herself.
 Has difficulty expressing what they want or need
- may then try to use gestures.
 May echo words or phrases.
 May have inappropriate attachments to objects.

CONTINUED…
May spin his/herself or objects.
 Prolonged repetitive play.
 May insist on things/routines always being the
same.
 May exhibit inappropriate laughing (laughing
when not appropriate to the situation).
 May display tantrums for no apparent reason.
 May avoid cuddling.

ASSESSMENT- SPEECH THERAPY
Each evaluation is different based on individual
child
 Tests may be formal (standardized) or criterion
referenced and observational
 Assessment determines current skill levels in the
following areas:
Language Comprehension (and processing)
 Expressive Language
 Pragmatics
 Articulation, Voice, and Fluency


May see the need for further evaluation
SPEECH THERAPY
Therapy is individualized to the needs and levels
of each child
 Therapy goals will address

Language Comprehension
 Expressive Language and
 Increasing Use of skills (interaction)

STRATEGIES TO IMPROVE
COMMUNICATION
 Get
Attention
 Use interests
 Use facial expression
 Simple Language
 Reduce number of words and complexity
 Repetition
 Emphasis on areas that need increasing
 Visual Cues
 Visual learners
VISUAL STRATEGIES
 Signs
and Sign
Language
 Pictures and
Symbols
VISUAL STRATEGIES
 Schedules
 There
are a variety of schedule options
 Use a hierarchy to determine for
each child
Small object
Representational part
Photos
Symbols
Written
EXAMPLES OF PICTURES AND
SYMBOLS
EXAMPLES OF PICTURES AND
SYMBOLS
BEHAVIOR AS A MEANS OF
COMMUNICATION IN ASD
 What
does this mean?
 Push work away
 Throw plate on the floor
 Flap hands and jump
 Spin around and around
 Pull Mom to the cookie jar
 Stand by the door and look out
 Cover ears
BEHAVIOR AS COMMUNICATION
IN ASD
 Be
aware of these communication
attempts
 Look for the antecedent to the behavior
 Verbalize the words to accompany the
behavior
GESTURES
 Immature
Gestures
 May see pulling, leading
 Reach/grab but not a good point
gesture
 Child may go to the area near what
he wants
 Conventional Gestures
 Interpret gesture with appropriate
language
ECHOLALIA
 Immediate
or delayed
 May serve a variety of functions
 Turn taking
 Confirmation of a choice
 Association to similar situation
 Add language to help child relate to
current event or alternative response
WAYS TO INCREASE EXPRESSIVE
COMMUNICATION
 Provide
frequent models, repetition
 Shape vocalizations or approximations
 Expand on simple utterance
 Relate echolalic response to current
situation
 Provide choices, verbal and visual
INCREASING INTERACTIONS WITH
CHILDREN WITH ASD
 Children
with ASD have a more limited
repertoire of communication functions
than children with typical development
 These children had relative skill in
regulating an adult’s behavior to
achieve an environmental end
 They had higher rate of requesting and
protesting than children with typical
development
(Wetherby & Prutting, 1984)
INCREASING INTERACTIONS WITH
CHILDREN WITH ASD
 Children
with ASD exhibit less
frequent use and later development of
communication for social interactions
 Directing attention to self (show off)
 Acknowledging others
 Commenting
 Symbolic play
(Wetherby, 1986; Wetherby &
Prutting, 1984)
*Joint Attention!!
CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
 Language
activities should encourage
spontaneous communication
 Observe the entire child, consider the
options
 Consult references for best practices
 Build language functions
 If the child is having fun, you will have
fun

Notes:

Notes:
REFERENCES
Wetherby, A. (1986). Ontogeny of communicative
functions in autism. Journal of Autism and
Developmental Disorders, 16, 295-316.
 Wetherby, A., & Prutting, C. (1984). Profiles of
communicative and cognitive-social abilities
in autistic children. Journal of Speech and
Hearing Research, 27, 364-377.
 www.asa.com (definitions and characteristics)
