Speech Therapy

Will you ever be able to forget how you felt the day when you heard so the diagnosis for your child was autism? No doubt your heart sank and you immediately went into protective mode where you wanted to learn all you am able to nearly autism and care of the disease as well.

As you read to the end of this moment article you serves to learn that there is wish and that you and your child can deal amidst right now and go on to make a home happy lives. While there is no known cure for autism, parents who struggle to raise an autistic child or children can find ways to manage and cope with their situation. You are probably so concerned with your child's ability to interact with others and to develop the social skills necessary to live a happy and fulfilling life.

I understand that and want to help you find ways to do that here. The good news for you is that natural treatments are available for your autistic child which include herbal and homeopathic remedies which do not have the side effects typically experienced from using prescription drugs. As a parent you want to address your child's autism and treatment immediately while reducing any negative side effects if possible. The earlier the treatment begins the better chance your child has of leading a normal life.

Non-drug treatments for autism include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, sensory therapy, social integration therapy, behavior modification therapy, speech therapy, play therapy and even music therapy. Another focus in the treatment of autism is the diet that your child consumes.

There are certain supplements that you will want to have your child take as well as you want to make sure your child follows a balanced diet avoiding what has been shown in research done so far to negatively affect autistic children and that is dairy products and products with gluten in them. Treatment for autism is primarily focused on managing the symptoms of this condition. What this means is that you treat the child with the hope of lessening the symptoms so that you improve their quality of life and help them to live as normally as possible.

As the parent of an autistic child, just know that it's not the end of the world and there are natural treatments you can implement for your child to help them cope and develop into adults who can function normally in society and life.

By Autism Advisor

Labels: autism, autistic, occupational therapist, occupational therapy, speech, speech therapy, stuttering, therapy, therapy speech

When treatments for Autism are making considered, medication is regularly above all attempted. For a good amount of reasons, plus concerns about the side effects of medication, this is changing. More people are searching the web out natural solutions. Here are chosen alternative treatments used for Autism.

* Nutritional Autistic children are often sensitive to certain foods. Behavioral problems or meltdowns can occur when these foods are eaten. Sometimes just very small amounts trigger the symptoms. Some diets that have been used to help treat Autism include gluten-free and dairy-free. Rotation diets may also be used to identify the triggers.

* Omega 3 Fatty Acids Omega 3 has been found to be helpful in treating Autism, as well as many other disorders. Omega 3 supplements are claimed to aid in better quality sleep patterns, improved social interaction, and general health and well-being. The most potent forms are found in fish oil which is available in capsule or liquid form. There are many brands which have enhancements that reduce, conceal, or remove the fishy taste.

* Music Therapy Several studies have found music therapy to be very beneficial to the Autistic child. Sometimes an Autistic individual will sing along with music even though they will not speak. Music therapy can be used as a calming tool or a way to help the Autistic person work on skills such as speech, muscle development, or sensory issues. The music can also be beneficial in social interaction through group activities.

* Sensory Integration Autistic individuals can be very sensitive to sounds, tastes, textures, and smells. Sensory integration therapy helps the child to deal with these heightened and often overwhelming responses to their own senses.

* Speech Therapy Speech therapy is important for any child with Autism. Children with Autism usually misuse words, and they often have difficulty understanding the meanings of words. Speech therapists can help teach gestures and communication skills to nonverbal children and can recommend special equipment to help your child communicate.

* Play Therapy Play therapy can be a very useful treatment. Play therapy allows the child to relax and focus on things they enjoy. A therapist will play on the floor with the child and will give the child various toys to see if the child takes a liking to one of them. If the child begins to play the therapist will then try to interact with the child.

After the therapist has formed a relationship with the child they might include other children into play therapy. This can open doors for the child to interact and increase their ability to relate with others. Usually a therapist does the play therapy, however the parent can engage their child in the therapy after they have learned the techniques used.

By Autism Advisor

Labels: autism, autism children, speech, speech and language, speech language, speech pathologist, speech pathology, speech therapy, therapy speech

Play Levels Of Social Interaction In Speech And Language Therapy

There are different levels of play used in the assessment of children's speech and language. These levels are used to measure children's play skills. However, there are also play levels of social interaction that can give a general overview of the child's play skills.

In general, there are six play levels of social interaction that children go through respectively. Each level becomes more complex than the previous one, and requires more communication and language skills than the other.

Unoccupied Play

The first level of play is unoccupied play. In this kind of play, the child may seem like he is simply sitting quietly in one corner but actually is finding simple things that he sees around him to be rather amusing. A typical adult may not notice that what the child is doing is already considered to be play, unless they observe meticulously.

The child may just be standing and fidgeting at times, but this could already be unoccupied play at work.

Onlooker Play

The second level is onlooker play. In this level, the child watches other children play but doesn't engage in play himself. This is when children learn to observe others. Such play level can show a child's attention and awareness skills.

Solitary Play

The third level is solitary play where the child plays by himself and doesn't intend to play with anyone else. This level shows an outright manifestation that the child do have play skills, only that it is still at a level that no interaction is required.

A child can be at this level when he is already able to play functionally with an object, can play by himself up to fifteen minutes, and is able to follow simple play routines.

Parallel Play

The fourth one is parallel play. This level characterizes children who play side by side but don't communicate with each other. Neither do they share toys. It is said to serve as a transition from solitary play to group play and is at its peak around the age of four years.

A child is said to be in this stage when he is able to play alone, but the activity he is doing is similar with the play activity that other children beside him are engaging in. The child also doesn't try to modify or influence the play of other children around him. Here, the child is playing 'beside' rather than ‘with' the other kids in the area.

Associative Play

Next is the associative play. This is where the children still don't play with each other but are already sharing the toys that they are playing with. This level shows the child's awareness of other children, although there is no direct communication between them, other than the sharing of toys and the occasional asking of questions.

Their play session doesn't involve role taking and has no organizational structure yet. The child still carries on the way he wants to play, regardless of what the other children around him are doing.

Cooperative Play

The last level is cooperative play. This is the final stage wherein the children are already playing together, sharing toys and communicating with each other.

This level usually happens at about the age of five or six, where children engage into group games and other highly structured play activities.

These levels can be utilized by the therapist as a guide when it comes to the interactions that he wishes to have with the child through play activities.

Importance Of Play In Speech Therapy

Play has a very important role in speech therapy. It is actually one way that speech therapy can be conveyed, especially if the one undergoing therapy is a child.

What's Play Got To Do With It?

Play isn't just used during the therapy proper. In fact, play is already used during the initial phases of assessment. Kids can be very choosy with people that they interact with, so seeing a therapist for the first time doesn't promise an instant click. Rapport has to be established first, and this is usually done through play.

Benefits Of Play

Other than using it as a tool to establish rapport, play also gives a lot of benefits. First off, it gives an over view of the child's skills, whether it be their abilities or limitations.

Then, therapy wise, play can be used to make a child cooperate with whatever exercises a therapist has lined up for him/her. Since play doesn't put much pressure on a child, he/she would likely cooperate to do the exercises and not know that what he/she is doing is already called therapy.

When the child is more relaxed, he can be at a more natural state. If a child is at his more natural state, then his skills could show more naturally. Thus, this would be a benefit on the therapist's part, since the therapist could get a more comprehensive assessment of the child's skills.

Play could also make therapy more fun and less scary. Since play is an activity to be enjoyed, the child would not get bored with monotonous therapy activities that seem like chores, rather than activities.

Play As A Skill

In fact, play is considered to be a skill itself, because it is a natural activity that children do. If a child doesn't play, then there must be something wrong with him, most probably with his Inner Language skills. This is because; play is a representation of a child's inner language. This is just one of the many reasons why play is important.

It actually has a domino effect, if you look at the bigger picture. Play is needed to have Inner language, which is in turn needed to have Receptive language that is a prerequisite of Expressive language. Thus, if a child has no play abilities, then his whole language system may be affected.

Play And Cognition

Play is also a basis of a child's cognition skills. The more developed a child's play skills are, the higher the probability that his cognition skills would be at a fair state. However, play and condition are not the same. Play is more likely a prerequisite or a co-requisite of cognition.

What Parents Have To Say

Unfortunately, most parents may have a negative impression when they see the therapist playing with their child. Initially, parents get surprised and shocked that they paid a very valuable amount for therapy, only to find out that their child would only be playing.

That's why it is very important for therapists to explain the procedures that they are going to do with the child to the parents. To make the session more interesting, the therapist could also include the parent/s in the play session with the child.

In this way, the child would definitely think that it is a play session. Additionally, the parent can also do the play activity at home with the child. Doing this, could serve to be practice of the targeted skill of the play activity.

By Steve Cownley

Labels: autism therapy, language pathologist, language therapy, pediatric therapy, speech language pathologist, speech language pathology, speech language therapy, speech pathologists