Language and Autism - Essay Example

Language and Autism Introduction Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder that lasts all through a persons lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It is characterized by significant deficits in communication and social interaction, as well as stereotyped and repetitive behaviors (Paul and Wetherby, 2005, 11-13). It is a severe developmental disorder that affects the way a child sees and interacts with the rest of the world. It limits their ability to interact with others socially and most of the times try to avoid human contact. In 1908, Eugen Bleuler a Swiss psychiatrist coined the word "autism" in schizophrenic patients who screened themselves off and were self-absorbed. Leo Kanner, while at Johns Hopkins, was first to describe autism in 1943 (Yazbak, 2003, 103-107). Leo Kanner described children with the following common traits: impairments in social interaction anguish for changes, good memory, belated echolalia, over sensitivity to certain stimuli (especially sound), food problems, limitations in spontaneous activity, good intellectual potential, often coming from talented families. He called the children autistic (Certec, 2004). A German scientist in 1944, Dr. Hans Asperger, described a milder form of the disorder that is now known as Asperger Syndrome. Asperger Syndrome (AS) (Asperger, 1944) is a subgroup on the autistic spectrum. People with AS share many of the same features as are seen in autism, but with no history of language delay and where IQ is in the average range or above (Baron-Cohen, 2004, 73-78). For a very long time, autism and psychosis continued to be confused and to this day parents are accused of causing the serious disabilities their autistic children have. For many years, researchers searched for the underlying cause of contact and language disorders, but they realized that the disability was more complex (Certec, 2004). Just et al. (2004, 1811–1821) suggest neural basis of disordered language in autism entails a lower degree of information integration and synchronization across the large-scale cortical network for language processing. Though the cause of speech and language problems in autism is still unknown, many believe that the difficulties are caused by a variety of conditions that occur either before, during, or after birth affecting brain development. The communication problems of autism vary, depending upon the intellectual and social development of the individual. Some may be unable to speak, whereas others may have rich vocabularies and are able to talk about topics of interest in great depth. Despite this variation, the majority of autistic individuals have little or no problem with pronunciation. Most have difficulty effectively using language. Many also have problems with word and sentence meaning, intonation, and rhythm (NIDCD, 1998). Since communication deficits are at the core of the autistic syndrome, these deficits affect all aspects of the childs functioning. Effective communication intervention requires not only specialized knowledge in communication, but also proper understanding of ASD. Meeting the social, behavioral, and communicative challenges requires a broad knowledge base with perspectives from many disciplines (Diehl, 2003, 177). Treating the communication disorders of children with autism is an intimidating task. There are several studies conducted to understand and provide solution to the problem of communication in children with autism. Studies show that Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) strategies may enhance their means to communicate and provide them with acceptable means of communicating with people, helping them to become independent and influence their environment. Graphic symbols such as line drawings, photographs, or pictograms are often used for AAC. The effects of using an interactive fading computer procedure for teaching orthographic symbols to children with autism were studied by Hetzroni and Shalem (2005, 201). The commonly recognized symbols (i.e., commercial logos) were familiar and were used for various activities by the children in the classroom and at home. Those symbols were easy for the children to recognize at the initial stages of the study and therefore served as good reinforcers throughout the fading procedure. It was found that the children who participated in the study effectively learned all symbols, and most of them were able to transfer the knowledge back into classroom activities. Thus, children with autism who use logos and other objects and pictures may be capable of learning to identify orthographic symbols, which are more acceptable and age appropriate. In another study, it was found that joint attention is an early-developing social-communicative skill in which two people (usually a young child and an adult) use gestures and gaze to share attention with respect to interesting objects or events. This skill plays a critical role in social and language development. Impaired development of joint attention is a fundamental feature of children with autism, and thus it is important to develop this skill in early intervention efforts (Jones and Carr, 2004, 13). Recent research on the benefits of speech-generating devices (SGDs) and talking word processing software is gaining importance. Although research evaluating treatment packages in support of spelling and literacy remains equivocal, some strides have been made in evaluating the effects of print and speech feedback as independent variables. Studies conducted by Blischak and Schlosser (2003, 293) show that it is important for practitioners to assess the relative benefits of feedback modes for individual learners with autism rather than to assume that SGDs should always be programmed to supply print and speech feedback. Their findings further suggest that such an assessment will ensure that learners with autism are provided with feedback modes that are most efficient toward developing independent spelling. In children with autism, the childs physician will usually refer the child to a variety of specialists, including a speech-language pathologist, who performs a comprehensive evaluation of his or her ability to communicate and designs and administers treatment. No single treatment method has been found to successfully improve communication in individuals with autism. The best treatment begins early, during the preschool years, is individually tailored, targets both behavior and communication, and involves parents or primary caregivers. Finally, the goal of therapy should be to improve useful communication. References Asperger, H. “Die "Autistischen Psychopathen" im Kindesalter”. Archiv fur Psychiatrie und Nervenkrankheiten, 1944, 117, 76-136. Baron-Cohen, S. “Autism: Research into causes and intervention”. Paediatric Rehabilitation, 2004, 7, 73-78. Blischak, D.M. and Schlosser, R.W. “Use of technology to support independent spelling by students with autism”. Topics in Language Disorders. Frederick: Oct-Dec 2003. Vol. 23, Iss. 4;  pg. 293. Certec, “The History of Autism”.  2004. 22 August 2006, Diehl, S.F. “Clinical Forum: Prologue: Autism spectrum disorder: The context of speech-language pathologist intervention”. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools. Washington: Jul 2003. Vol. 34, Iss. 3;  pg. 177. Hetzroni, O.E. and Shalem, U. “From Logos to Orthographic Symbols: A Multilevel Fading Computer Program for Teaching Nonverbal Children With Autism”. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. Austin: Winter 2005, Vol 20 Iss. 4, 201, 12 pgs. Jones, A.E. and Carr, E.G. “Joint Attention in Children with Autism: Theory and Intervention”. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Austin: Spring 2004. Vol. 19, Iss. 1;  pg. 13, 14 pgs. Just, M. A. Cherkassky, V.L. Keller, T.A. and Minshew, N.J. “Cortical activation and synchronization during sentence comprehension in high-functioning autism: evidence of underconnectivity”. Brain. Vol. 127 No. 8, 1811–1821. National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), “Autism and Communication”. National Institutes of Health 1998, 22 August 2006, Paul, R. and Wetherby, A. “New Autism Collaboration Develops Practices in Communication Assessment for SLPs” ASHA Leader. Rockville: Mar 1, 2005. Vol. 10, Iss. 3; pg. 11-13 Yazbak, E.F. “Autism in the United States: a Perspective”. Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons, Vol. 8, No. 4, Winter 2003, 103-107. Read More