Autism

  • What is Autism?

  • Autism is a complex developmental difficulty, characteristically defined as problems with reciprocal social interaction and communication skills alongside stereotyped, repetitive or limited behavioural repertoire.[1]

    It is a lifelong condition that impacts on daily life and manifests differently according to the individual, their environment and maturation. Autism is also known as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) because it accounts for those with severe to mild symptoms in which there may or may not be an accompanying learning difficulty.

    According to current diagnostic criteria ASD is the umbrella term used to describe those that were previously diagnosed with Asperger’s or Pathological Demand Avoidance.[2]

  • Signs and Symptoms

  • Social Communication and Interaction:
    • Limited functional use of language  
    • Lack of motivation to communicate
    • Loss of words the child was previously able to say
    • Reduced sharing of interests (e.g. getting your attention to show you something funny and then looking back to see your reaction).
    • Poor conversational turn-taking – lack of reciprocity
    • Echolalia - Repeating what is said without purpose
    • Problems answering abstract questions (e.g. ‘why?’ or ‘how?’)
    • Speech that sounds unusual (e.g. robotic speech, animated pitch or unusual accent)
    • Failure to build relationships (e.g. friendships) or lack of interest in others
    • Unusual eye contact or body language
    • Lack of emotion/empathy or atypical emotional behaviours (e.g. crying, becoming angry, giggling, or laughing for no known reason or at the wrong time)
    • Difficulties adjusting behaviour to suit various social contexts
    • Difficulties understanding others’ point of view
    • Difficulties with imaginative play
    • Taking things very literally
  • Restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests, or activities:
    • Rocking, hand flapping, spinning or other repetitive motor movements
    • Repetitive use of objects (e.g. lining up items, repetitive sequence of play)
    • Echolalia or use of idiosyncratic phrases
    • Inflexible adherence to routines (e.g. difficulties with change or transitions)
    • Ritualistic (e.g. ritualised greetings, eats the same foods)
    • Rigid Thinking (e.g. can’t think outside the box or accept a different viewpoint)
    • Using objects in unusual way
    • Preoccupation with unusual objects
    • Fixated interests that are abnormally intense or focused
    • No fear of real dangers
    • Being either very sensitive or not sensitive enough to touch, texture, temperature, taste, smell, light, or sounds (e.g., disliking loud sounds, refusing certain food/clothing textures, excessive smelling/mouthing, visual fascination with lights or movement)

  • Children with autism may have problems with social communication and interaction and reacting to the world around them. Not all behaviours will exist in every child. Diagnosis can be made by two professionals with experience in working with children with Autism such as a Speech and Language Therapist alongside a Paediatrician or Educational Psychologist.

    Possible signs and symptoms are outlined below:

  • What do we do to help?

  • We have experience in using a range of certified interventions and we tailor these to suit our client’s individual needs. We also have vast knowledge to supporting parents with the day-to-day barriers their child may face due to their social communication or interaction difficulties.

    Some of our interventions have targeted some or a range of the following:

    • Friendship building
    • Conversational skills
    • Two-way interaction during play
    • Picture Exchange Communication Systems
    • SCERTS Framework
    • Social skills
    • Sentence building
    • Using functional language
    • Coping with change
    • Understanding social situations
    • Understanding emotions
    • Following a routine

  • [1] Health Improvement Scotland. (2016) Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network– Assessment, Diagnosis and Intervention for Autism. A national clinical guide. Edinburgh
    [2] American Psychiatric Association. (2013) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. 5th ed. Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association

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Speech Therapy Talks aims to develop the Speech, Language and Communication Needs of children with delays or long term difficulties to ensure our clients reach their absolute potential.

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07874093786
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Speech Therapy Talks
8 Greenlaw Road
Newton Mearns
Glasgow
G77 6ND

Useful Links
National Autistic Society Website: https://www.autism.org.uk/
Stammering - https://michaelpalincentreforstammering.org/
Scottish Autism - https://www.scottishautism.org/
KIDS (kids independent development skills) https://www.nhsggc.org.uk/kids/
Literacy Difficulties http://dyslexiascotland.org.uk/
REACH https://reach.scot/
ICAN https://ican.org.uk/
Developmental Language Disorder - https://radld.org/
Change Stammering - https://stamma.org
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