Speech therapy is often vital component of the comprehensive treatment plan for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. According to The American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), a child must demonstrate persistent deficits in all three areas of social communication and interaction, plus at least two of four types of restricted, repetitive behaviors.  

Deficits in Social Communication and Interaction:

• Social-emotional reciprocity
• Nonverbal communicative behaviors
• Developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships

Restricted, Repetitive Patterns of Behavior, Interests, or Activities:

• Stereotyped or repetitive movements, use of objects, or speech
• Insistence on sameness, inflexible adherence to routines, or ritualized patterns of verbal or nonverbal behavior
• Highly restricted, fixated interests that are abnormal in intensity or focus
• Hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of environment

Speech Therapy Can Help Improve:

• Pre-linguistic language (e.g., gestures, joint attention, anticipation, imitation)
• Expressive language (e.g., the ability to express oneself through verbal or nonverbal communication)
• Receptive language (e.g., the ability to understand or comprehend spoken language)
• Pragmatic language (e.g., social skills used in daily interactions)
• Picky eating (e.g., accepting and expanding new food textures)

Social Skills Groups

Our social skills groups, led by experienced speech-language pathologists, provide a natural environment for learning through play, peer interaction, role-playing, video modeling, and social stories. 

Benefits from Social Skill Groups:

• Participating in back-and-forth conversations
• Maintaining topics
• Taking turns and sharing
• Expressing emotions
• Dealing with conflict
• Identifying and problem-solving
• Self-advocating for personal needs

At One Speech Therapy, our licensed speech-language pathologists collaborate with a variety of professionals, such as board certified behavior analysts, teachers, social workers, and psychologists, to facilitate a multi-disciplinary approach to goal achievement across different contexts and settings. We will also work with families and caregivers, equipping them with strategies to incorporate sensory supports and provide language opportunities to foster meaningful communication.