Speech Therapists and Speech Therapy
Once your child enters school (or an early intervention program) they will receive an evaluation from the speech therapist to determine if they qualify for speech therapy. Most children with autism need speech therapy. Even if they can speak, they will usually mix up their pronouns, have difficulties answering questions appropriately, need help using the correct tone of voice or correct volume and pronouncing words correctly. They may also have a difficult time with the social aspect of speech, such as; making eye contact, waiting their turn to talk, initiating conversations or maintaining a conversation. A speech therapist can help with these difficulties. When it is determined that they qualify for services, you will then have a meeting with your child's support team to write an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) setting up how many hours of therapy your child will receive during each week and you will write different speech and social goals for the therapist to help your child meet. The goals will be simple at first and change as your child meets them. If your child goes to school through the Intermediate Unit (IU), the classroom may have their own speech therapist working along side the classroom teacher.
Working With Autism Behavior Management Reward Systems