How Autism Affects Speech, Language and Eating
This article was adapted from Isa Marrs, SLP www.speechlanguagefeeding.com
With so much information out there in recent years about autism I thought it would be
beneficial to get back to the basics. Much of the information in today’s news usually
relates to causes, treatments, and statistics. I want to talk more about how autism affects
speech and language and often eating in individuals who have an autism spectrum
disorder.
The Central Concern of Autism
If you are a parent of a child with autism or a professional working with these children I
am sure you realize the importance of getting the right and the best speech language
pathologist you can find.
While these children definitely have other significant issues that need to be addressed by
other experts, we can all agree that communication is the central concern in autism
spectrum disorders.
Autism and Language Skills
First let’s talk about language. Language can be divided into 2 main parts: expressive
language and receptive language.
Expressive language is the ability to convey thoughts into words with meaning.
Basically, this is “the ability to talk.” Receptive language is our understanding of “what
is being said.” Both expressive and receptive language skills are necessary to be an
effective communicator. When either, receptive or expressive language is impaired the
person’s ability to communicate is affected. Children on the autism spectrum will always
have some sort of a language deficit depending on their actual diagnosis.
More often, the ability to express language is impacted to a greater degree than the
receptive language. This is the reason why augmentative communication with these
children is so important. Augmentative communication is another means of
communication which can involve pictures, picture boards or talking computers (assistive
technology devices). With one exception to this is found in children with Aspergers.
These children will usually have advanced language skills both expressive and receptive;
however their pragmatic language skills are impacted to a degree which makes
understanding the world around them difficult.
Pragmatic Language and Autism
All children on the autistic spectrum will have deficits in pragmatic language to some
degree. Pragmatic language refers to “the social use of language”. The ability to use the
language skills you have to interact with the world around you. These deficits may be
subtle to an outside observer but can be profound to a child experiencing them.
Social skills deficits are very complex and they are usually mistreated and often
misunderstood. They can be a very emotional issue to all involved. Imagine spending
years watching your child struggle to learn to communicate and once he does you realize
he still can’t use these skills to make friends.
Autism and Speech Skills
Another area in observing and assisting people with autism is speech disorders.
Childhood Apraxia of Speech is a severe motor speech disorder that is believed by some
to occur in higher percentage of children on the autistic spectrum than in the general
population. This speech disorder makes it even more difficult for these children to learn
to communicate. Therapy for a severe speech disorder should be intensive and is often
not very exciting.
What is the difference between an articulation disorder and a delay?
The words “disorder” and “delay” are often used interchangeably; however, I prefer to
differentiate between the two.
The articulation “disorder” is most often more severe and will require therapeutic
intervention to correct or improve. On the other hand, it is possible, yet not definite, that
a child will grow out of an articulation “delay”.
When I think of a “disorder” the word “different” comes to mind. Children with speech
“disorders” have different types of speech errors that would not be heard in a younger
child has a “delay”. There are common errors that many children make when they are
delayed. Most, but not all, children correct those errors on their own.
Children do not grow out of speech or language disorders of any kind.
Often times parents are told to “wait and see if he’ll grow out of it” by someone who is
not an expert in speech/language development. Sometimes this is a family member, and
at other times it is your child’s pediatrician. Unfortunately, this causes many parents to
lose precious time.
If you are concerned about your child’s speech and language development the only
person qualified to tell you if it is a delay or a disorder is a board certified speech
language pathologist. www.asha.org
Children on the autism spectrum who have other behavioral challenges will have a harder
time making progress in school than a child who does not have an autism spectrum
disorder. Minor articulation errors such as lisps or stuttering will often get overlooked as
they are not priorities when looking at the child as a whole.
Autism and Eating
Eating is another area that is very often impacted with a child on the autistic spectrum.
While it is not a speech or language issue it is often treated by a speech language
pathologist. It is one of my areas of specialty; so, I thought I would discuss it as well.
Children on the autistic spectrum often fall into the category of resistant or problem
eaters. The most important distinction between a picky eater and a resistant eater is
severity. A child who is a resistant eater could put his life at risk by refusing to eat or
drink when pushed in the wrong direction by well meaning parents or uninformed
therapists. There is a lot of information out there on picky eating and you will rarely read
anything about a child starving himself if not treated properly. This is putting children’s
lives at risk. While a typically developing child may not starve himself, a resistant eater
might.
By Isa Marrs, SLP. www.speechlanguagefeeding.com