By Javaria Najeeb
Autism is a condition which affects an individual’s way of understanding and the way he/she communicate with other people and also how to make sense of the world. It is a spectrum so a child or adult varies according to his or her difficulties. Some are affected mildly; may be they can live a relatively independent life while other may require a lifelong support. Mainly all the children with Autism have to face such challenges throughout their life: social interaction, social communication and behavioral skills
The children who have autism possibly do not find human speech interactive and pleasing because the pathways in the brain that join speech recognition to the brain’s reward Centre’s are very different than in the normally developing brains.
Language and speech play a very important role in our lives, from ordering a dinner to paying a bill or interacting with your friends and family language plays a significant role. Frequently people who use speech and language take this skill for granted but for people who live with Autism; it’s very challenging and difficult to develop language skills and to understand emotions. According to children’s developmental milestones the children at the age of eight to ten months respond to their names while children with Autism do not respond even after prompts or tapping on their shoulder. recognize well a human voice.
There are different techniques which can possibly help a child with Autism, who has difficulty in speech and language. First of all interact with your child, encourage them while he/she is playing and imitate your child’s simpler acts. While communicating with your child use simple language and encourage the interest of your child. Different therapies i.e. speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and sensory integration therapy also help children with speech and language issues.