What is autism?
Autism is a lifelong condition affecting many areas of development including how a child:
- communicates with other people
- relates to other people
- relates to the World around them.
This is a spectrum condition: while all children with autism share certain areas of difficulty, their condition will affect them in different ways.
How specialist speech and language therapy can help
Difficulties processing the sensory world can affect a child’s ability to communicate and function independently in social situations. This can have a negative impact on education, recreation, and social integration.
Specialist speech and language therapy can help to play a unique role in:
- identifying the social and communication characteristics,
- contributing to a differential diagnosis of those with autism and in
- identifying co-morbidities
- training others involved in the care and education of those with autism.