My 2 1/2 year old child was just diagnosed with autism and isn talking. What should I be doing to help her learn to talk?
Early intervention is very important when it comes to children with a diagnosis of autism. You should have your child evaluated by a speech-language pathologist who can determine specific areas of strength and weakness in terms of social, behavioral, and communication skills. Individual sessions of speech-language therapy should be scheduled 2-3 times weekly and you, as the parent, should be instructed in a home program that can supplement and enhance the therapy. Before a child can begin speaking there are five skills that must be present: • An interest in what others are saying or doing • The ability to hear and understand words • The desire to communicate with others in non-verbal ways • The desire and ability to play with speech sounds, imitate speech and use sounds to “talk” to people • Enjoyment when interacting with others Your speech-language pathologist will create and implement a program that will enable your child to develop skills necessary for communication. Other professi
