StudentShare
Contact Us
Sign In / Sign Up for FREE
Search
Go to advanced search...
Free

Autism: Speech and Language Therapy - Case Study Example

Cite this document
Summary
This paper "Autism: Speech and Language Therapy" discusses how special school teachers could cater to the special needs of children with autism, and also explore the significance of understanding typical language and communication development for practitioners who are working with autistic individuals…
Download full paper File format: .doc, available for editing
GRAB THE BEST PAPER93.5% of users find it useful
Autism: Speech and Language Therapy
Read Text Preview

Extract of sample "Autism: Speech and Language Therapy"

Introduction As a life-long non-curable disease, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neural developmental disorder that is often characterized by having impaired verbal or non-verbal communication and social interaction aside from showing repetitive behavior such as the act of arranging objects in stacks or lines, continuous hand flapping or making unusual sounds, body rocking, and ritualistic behavior like eating the same food each day or performing a ritual when dressing (National Institute of Mental Health 2010; Geschwind 2008; Lam and Aman 2007). Even though autism is considered as a hidden disability (Rosenblatt 2008, p. 37), Baird et al. (2006) reported that more than half a million individuals in UK have autism. Autism can lead to learning disorder. In line with this, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (2010) revealed that there is a high risk that autistic children may experience fragile X syndrome – causing mental retardation, tuberous sclerosis – tumor in the brain, epileptic seizures, ADHD, learning disabilities, and Tourette syndrome – a neuropsychiatric disorder that is characterized by multiple physical tics or at least one vocal tic. In relation to the onset of Tourette syndrome, ‘motor tics’ are considered as a sudden repetitive non-rhythmic movement whereas ‘phonic tics’ are characterized by sudden repetitive utterances which are produced by moving air through the throat, nose, or mouth (Leckman et al. 2006). In most cases the presence of uncontrolled and severe motor and phonic tics could lead to dyslexia – reading disabilities, dysgraphia – written language disabilities (LD Online 2008). Because of the learning difficulties associated with autism, it is important to extend a special learning support to autistic students. Although autism is known as an incurable disability, the provision of special learning support could significantly change the lives of autistic individuals in a more positive way. This report will first discuss the importance of early educational intervention in autistic child’s learning development. As part of determining the strategic ways on how special school teachers could cater the special needs of children with autism, this report will explore the significance of understanding typical language and communication development for practitioners who are working with autistic individuals. Importance of Early Educational Intervention in Autistic Child’s Learning Development Autistic individuals are experiencing communication problems related to the use of speech and language simply because autistic school-age children do not realize the importance of communicating to other people. According to Meyers and Johnson (2007), the use of educational intervention as soon as a child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders is more beneficial on the part of the autistic children as compared to leaving the child socially isolated for a very long time. With the provision of special learning support, the ability of autistic children to learn the proper use of language can progress at a much slower phase as compared to school-age children without autism. In line with this, the use of educational intervention could not only improve the child’s ability to develop their independence from their parents but also improve their academic learning experiences and ability to socialize and communicate with other children. In the long-run, autistic children who are given the opportunity to attend school are expected to be able to improve their adaptive skills by learning how to control their interfering behaviors. The cost of hiring 1:1 ratio between the special school teacher and autistic student is very high. Aside from providing autistic children with intensive intervention of at least 25 hours per week and 12 months per years (Meyers and Johnson 2007), it is more advisable to maintain a small group of autistic students under the guidance of a special school teacher. Likewise, special school teachers are also required to understand and document each student’s learning development since recording the learning progress of each student will allow the professional practitioners to keep track on the learning growth of the learners and adjust to the child’s ability to speak, read and write. Significance of Understanding Typical Language and Communication Development for Practitioners who are working with Autistic Individuals The case of autistic students is unique in the sense that there are some students who may suffer from one or more of the following disorders: fragile X syndrome, tuberous sclerosis, and/or epileptic seizures whereas other students may show signs of attention deficit disorder or Tourette syndrome. Language and speech practioners should be aware that autistic students may experience cognitive problems, physical disorders, sensory impairments, behavioral abnormalities and/or emotional difficulties (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke 2010). For this reason, language and speech practitioners should accurately identify the specific needs of each student to make them easily address the students’ learning barriers. Language and speech practitioners who are assigned to work with autistic children should be aware that learning the use of language can be very difficult and frustrating on the part of autistic children (Quill 1995, p. 43). Since it is not easy on the part of autistic children to adopt with the demands of language and speech practitioners, individuals who are assigned in handling the learning growth of autistic children should have more patience especially when the student stutter when they speak simple words and phrases. Likewise, practitioners should be aware that there are cases wherein autistic children could express their sadness and displeasure through screaming (ibid). The problem with autism is that children with this kind of learning disorder may slowly learn the use of language or not at all (Mignano 2010, p. 11). In line with this, there are some autistic children who may use words without fully understanding the meaning of the words they use (Mignano 2010, p. 11; Potter and Whittaker 2001, p. 57). Since majority or almost all of the autistic children do not fully understand the need to communicate with other people, language and speech specialists who are currently working with autistic children may find it very difficult to teach autistic children (Autism Education Trust, 2011). On the part of the language and speech practitioners who are working with autistic individuals, understanding typical language and communication development skills is important in terms of increasing their success rate in communicating and teaching autistic children the importance of using proper verbal and non-verbal communication techniques. Aside from using simple and short verbal cues in communication, Bogdashina (2005, pp. 135 – 136) revealed that communicating with autistic children should consider the significance of non-verbal or sensory-based communication technique (i.e. visual, tactile, kinaesthetic, auditory, smell, or taste language) in capturing the interest of autistic children. Autistic children often have short-attention span which makes it difficult for them to comprehend with long verbal information (Quill 1995, p. 49). Since mental activity is not limited to cognitive development but also the child’s determination to learn and affect (feelings) (Hobson 2002, p. xiii), language and speech practitioners should take it as a challenge to determine how to make full use of special learning tools that could stimulate the child’s five senses. As compared to students with normal learning capabilities, several authors revealed that autistic children requires a lot of visual learning support and lesser distractions (Bogdashina 2005, p. 136; Peeters 2000). In line with this, a good example of using visual sensory-based technique in teaching autistic children is the use of visual objects or images. By allowing an autistic child to become exposed in a series of visual aids or by simply letting them watch a short-film, practitioners who are directly involved in the learning of autistic children could encourage this group of children to create pictures in their thoughts or recall what they have seen in the short-film (Bogdashina 2005, p. 135). Eventually, exposing them to visual stimulation could make them unconsciously respond to what they have seen in a picture or film. Bogdashina (2005, p. 135) revealed that there are some autistic children who may experience “severe perceptual problems”. Since there is a small percentage wherein an autistic student could experience problem trying to retrieve mental images when responding to verbal cues, speech and language practitioners should take advantage of combining the use of other tools that could stimulate the child’s learning progress (i.e. hearing senses, kinaestetics, or emotional being). By exposing the child in a repetitive auditory stimulation combined with physical movements such as the use of gesture signs or allowing the child to touch the surface of an object (Bogdashina 2005, p. 136), the autistic child can eventually learn to understand what the language and speech practitioner is trying to convey to the child. For example: Practitioners can make use of a tape recorder to allow an autistic child to listen to the sound patterns on how each word should be properly pronounced. According to Quill (1995, p. 43), there are quite a lot of autistic children who managed to learn how to sing before they even learn how to speak. Other than the use of singing or music as a mode of teaching the child how to speak the language we commonly use each day (Potter and Whittaker 2001, p. 57), language and speech practitioners should also consider the use of play and drama when teaching children with autistic spectrum disorders (Sherratt and Peter 2002). Aside from the use of senses as a strategy in teaching autistic children to learn the proper use of words in verbal communication, Hobson (2002, pp. 2 – 3) explained that speech and language practitioners who are working for autistic children should know by heart that social engagement serves as the foundation or motive for the child to use language in communicating to other people. For this reason, it is crucial on the part of the practitioners to develop strategic ways on how they can get autistic children to be involved in group work or social interaction with other children their age. In line with this, several authors revealed that encouraging autistic children to participate in group games is one of the best strategies that could enable the practitioners improve the child’s acceptance, attitude and perception about socialization (Potter and Whittaker 2001, p. 62; Quill 1995, p. 74). Conclusion and Recommendations Since autistic children are not interested in communication and socializing with other people, it is never easy to work with autistic individuals. By fully understanding the typical language and communication development, language and speech practitioners who are working with autistic children could minimize the risk of making this group of learners become irritated and frustrated in learning how to communicate with other people. This is important in terms of preventing autistic children from isolating themselves from other students. There are quite a lot of strategies that can be used in enabling the language and speech practitioners are able to provide the special learning needs of children with autism spectrum disorders. Depending on the learning barriers of each student, practitioners can consider the use of different teaching and learning techniques that could trigger the students’ five senses (i.e. the use of singing and music, drama and play, visual aids, body movements and signs, etc.). Each student with autism may experience different physical impairment which could hinder their ability to learn the proper use of language in communication. For this reason, language and speech practitioners should record and take note about the child’s learning development. For instance: Autistic student with phonic tics may experience difficulty in pronouncing the words properly. Therefore, practitioners could consider the assistance coming from speech-language pathologists when determining the best solution on how to control the child’s sudden repetitive utterances when speaking. In case the child is having severe behavioral problems, practitioners may seek the assistance of behavioral therapist in order to control the child’s behavioral problems. Handling a group of students with autism spectrum disorders can be very difficult to manage. To increases the chances of being able to enhance the learning abilities of autistic children, language and speech practitioners should seek guidance and professional intervention coming from a wide-range of special language educators such as the professional speech-language pathologists, behavioral therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and psychologists or counselors (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2005, p. 19). By working with other group of professionals who have the expertise in dealing with autistic children, language and speech practitioners who are working directly with autistic children will be able to have better understanding with regards to the use of effective teaching and learning intervention techniques. References Autism Education Trust. (2011). Speech and language therapy. [online] Available at: [Accessed 6th May 2011]. Baird, G., et al. (2006). Prevalence of disorders of the autism spectrum in a population cohort of children in South Thames: the Special Needs and Autism Project (SNAP). The Lancet , 9531, pp. 210-215. Bogdashina, O. (2005). Communication issues in autism and Asperger syndrome: do we speak the same language? London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Geschwind, D. (2008). Autism: many genes, common pathways? Cell , 135(3), pp. 391-395. Hobson, P. (2002). The Cradle of Thought. London: Macmillan. Lam, K., and Aman, M. (2007). The Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised: independent validation in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism Development Disorder , 37(5), pp. 855-866. LD Online. (2008). Learning Disabilities: An Overview. [online] Available at: [Accessed 6th May 2011]. Leckman, J., Bloch, M., King, R., and Scahill, L. (2006). Phenomenology of tics and natural history of tic disorders. Advance Neurology , 99, pp. 1-16. Meyers, S. M., and Johnson, C. P. (2007). Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Pediatrics , 120(5), pp. 1162-1182. Mignano, R. (2010). Autism and its history in education. An outline of past and current educational options. CreateSpace. National Institute of Mental Health. (2010, December 8). Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders). [online] Available at: [Accessed 6th May 2011]. National Institute of Neurological Disorder and Stroke. (2010). Autism Fact Sheet. [online] Available at: [Accessed 6th May 2011]. Potter, C., and Whittaker, C. (2001). Enabling Communication in Children with Autism. London: Jessica Kingsley. Quill, K. (1995). Teaching children with autism: strategies to enhance communication and socialization. Thomson Learning. Rosenblatt, M. (2008). I Exist: the message from adults with autism in England. London: The National Autistic Society. Sherratt, D., and Peter, M. (2002). Developing Play and Drama in Children with autism. London: David Fulton. U.S. Government Accountability Office. (2005, January). Special Education. Children w/ Autism. [online] Available at: [Accessed 6th May 2011]. Read More
Cite this document
  • APA
  • MLA
  • CHICAGO
(Autism: Speech and Language Therapy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1, n.d.)
Autism: Speech and Language Therapy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1. Retrieved from https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1751969-discuss-the-significance-of-an-understanding-of-typical-language-and-communication-development-for-a-practitioner-working-with-people-with-autismillustrate-your-answer-by-making-reference-to-the-literature-and-your-practice
(Autism: Speech and Language Therapy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words - 1)
Autism: Speech and Language Therapy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words - 1. https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1751969-discuss-the-significance-of-an-understanding-of-typical-language-and-communication-development-for-a-practitioner-working-with-people-with-autismillustrate-your-answer-by-making-reference-to-the-literature-and-your-practice.
“Autism: Speech and Language Therapy Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 Words - 1”. https://studentshare.org/health-sciences-medicine/1751969-discuss-the-significance-of-an-understanding-of-typical-language-and-communication-development-for-a-practitioner-working-with-people-with-autismillustrate-your-answer-by-making-reference-to-the-literature-and-your-practice.
  • Cited: 0 times

CHECK THESE SAMPLES OF Autism: Speech and Language Therapy

Use of E-Stem in Physical Therapy

Use of E-Stem in Physical therapy ... USE OF E-STEM IN PHYSICAL therapy USE OF E-STEM IN PHYSICAL therapy AND ITS VALUE TO THE PATIENT.... Scientists, doctors and other medical professionals have come up with what they refer as physical therapy.... Physical therapy is a health care that is provided by a physical therapist and involves treatment of disorders of the body muscles, bones or joints.... It can also be referred as physical therapy used to strengthen muscles and promote healing to the patient....
3 Pages (750 words) Speech or Presentation

David Byrne as a multidisciplinary sound artist

David Byrne as a Multidisciplinary Sound Artist David Byrne has contributed significantly to the world of music.... Born in the year 1952 in Scotland, he moved to the USA where he has lived since then.... He founded and organized the band talking heads, which was active between the years 1975 and 1991....
4 Pages (1000 words) Speech or Presentation

Biomedical Issues in Autism

Mercury has been identified to be a neuro-toxin, and causes defects in memory, cognitive thinking, language, visual ability, and motor skills.... Instructor Date Biomedical Issues in autism Introduction autism, which is often considered a disorder of mind, presents as a challenge not only to the parents but also to the society as a whole.... Characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication difficulties, and an inclination towards performing repetitive actions, the ASD (autism Spectrum Disorders) pose a considerable challenge for parents of affected children....
7 Pages (1750 words) Speech or Presentation

Homework

Below is information relating to Boarders purchases of Xpert snowboards during September.... During the same month, 121 Xpert snowboards were sold.... Boarders uses a periodic inventory system. ... ... ones… The company purchased 200 units at a total cost of $26,000.... At the end of the year, Jones had 80 units in ending inventory. ...
2 Pages (500 words) Speech or Presentation

Mathematical Expressions and Order of Operations

Given: Selling price per unit, $40; total fixed expenses, $80,000; variable expenses per unit, $30.... Assume that variable expenses are reduced by 20% per unit, and the total fixed expenses are increased by 10%.... Find the sales in units to achieve a profit of $20,000, assuming… 12.... Key Question The following table shows nominal GDP and an appropriate price index for a group of selected years....
2 Pages (500 words) Speech or Presentation

Math Problem

A manager of a Brisbane Motor Bike dealership reviewed a sample of 100 recent used Bike sales at the dealership.... The sample mean price was $A19,300 and the sample… Letting m denote the population mean price for used Motor Bikes at the dealership, test ... ... he value of z-score corresponds to the significance level of the null hypothesis is known as critical value....
2 Pages (500 words) Speech or Presentation

Special Education

The purpose of this presentation was to identify the behavioral traits and reactions of the student towards various situations and to recover him from autism by means of medical intervention.... hellip; autism is caused by the neurological disorder.... The impact of autism is observed in the social interaction and communication of a child.... The information availed from the interview provides a clear understanding that the student is a patient of autism and hyperactivity caused due to neurological disorder....
12 Pages (3000 words) Speech or Presentation

Task-Based Language Teaching Approach, Listening, and Writing Skills

The paper "Task-Based language Teaching Approach, Listening and Writing Skills" tells that the Task-Based language Teaching Approach allows a student to use vocabulary and grammar constructs of their choice hence enabling them to make use of learned as well as known language.... hellip; The reason for selecting a Task-Based language Teaching Approach is that it allows the student to actively take part in the learning process through practical experimentation and performance of assigned tasks....
6 Pages (1500 words) Speech or Presentation
sponsored ads
We use cookies to create the best experience for you. Keep on browsing if you are OK with that, or find out how to manage cookies.
Contact Us