Autism

These signs vary depending on your child’s age and severity:

• Poor eye contact
• Delayed speech and communication skills
• May use jargon (own made-up language)
• Echolalia (meaningless repetition of another person’s spoken words)
• Unexpected reactions to sounds, tastes, sights, touch and smells
• Fussy eater and unusual sleeping habits
• Obsessive and repetitive behaviours (such as lining up toys)
• “Flapping” hands when excited
• Walking on tippy toes
• Not responding to his/her name
• Obsessed with routine and unable to cope with changes to their routine
• Restricted interests
• “Over reaction” to relatively minor situations
• Sensory difficulties/sensory seeking behaviours
• Difficulty making friends and maintaining friendships
• Difficulty with conversational skills (for example: your child may dominate conversations, only talk about their own interests, difficulty taking turns and/or staying on topic).
• They may find it difficult to read body language and social cues
• Rigid thinking and being literal thinkers are common
• Your child may find the concept of personal space difficult to comprehend

Speech pathology intervention will teach your child how to effectively communicate and interact with others. Communication requires both verbal and non-verbal skills. We will assess your child to determine appropriate goals for therapy.  At Blacktown Speech Pathology, we believe that every child is an individual and so is their family.

Treatment goals will usually depend on a number of factors: 

The child’s level of receptive and expressive language skills 

• The child’s level of Autism 
• The child’s cognitive ability 
• The needs of the family 
• Behavioural difficulties 
• Other delays/difficulties the child is experiencing (e.g., Sensory issues)
• The child’s speech skills

Therapy goals are always functional and meaningful to our clients and their family, they include: 

•  Non-verbal communication skills such as improving joint attention skills and gesture 
• Strengthen your child’s play skills, as play is vital for your child’s language and cognitive development 
•  We improve your child’s comprehension and understanding of language  
• We support and build your child’s expressive language skills 
• We offer various types of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) options including: Keyword Sign, Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) or programs such as LAMP, depending on your child’s abilities and needs 
• Improve your child’s ability to regulate their emotions  
• We support and teach various social skills depending on your child’s needs
• We use visuals and behavioural schedules