Speech Therapy and Beyond Services

Speech therapy is almost always recommended for autistic children since many people with autism have difficulty with social communication. Even if a child is very verbal and says a lot of words, they might need to work on communication skills like: 

• responding to questions
• starting or ending conversation
• changing conversation topics
• using gestures like pointing
• understanding other people's body language 

Speech therapy is a big focus in early intervention for autistic children and is usually the starting place for recently diagnosed kids. There is a critical period in the brain for language development and so, it's really important to teach language and communication skills as early as possible, especially if there are any delays in that area. Your child will learn effective ways to communicate which will help them grow into more independent and confident individuals.

It might be obvious when a child struggles with speaking —they are very quiet, say only a few words, or don't speak at all.

Spot speech and language delays like a doctor here.

The goal of speech therapy is to help your child communicate effectively with other people across all environments. This may take the form of using gestures, simple signs, verbal speech, and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC).

Some other common things speech therapists can help with:

• Nonverbal skills, such as signs or gestures
• Forming speech in a clearer way
• Communicating thoughts and feelings clearly
• Understanding and responding to questions
• Discerning facial expressions and their corresponding emotions
• Noticing and understanding body language
• Feeding and swallowing
• Stuttering

Your pediatrician might be able to administer screenings, but most general doctors are not trained to formally diagnose autism. They might refer you to a qualified diagnostic clinician which include: 

• Developmental Pediatricians
• Child Psychologists
• Child Psychiatrists
• Pediatric Neurologists
• Pediatric Neuropsychologists

Your experience might look different depending on the type of clinician you choose. Many families prefer working with developmental pediatricians. Others might work with a psychiatrist or another specialist to get a different perspective.

A formal ASD diagnosis, or a medical diagnosis, helps you get the support your family needs, especially within the context of accessing medically necessary therapies and services.

• Insurance Coverage for Therapies: Medically necessary therapies for ASD are often covered by insurance including, but not limited to, speech therapy, ABA therapy, and occupational therapy. 
• Financial Support: A diagnosis is required when applying for social security or disability benefits. 
• Plan for Care: A diagnosis helps identify your child’s support needs. For example, your child might need to develop social communication and self-regulation skills.
• Future Research: The more data we gather through evaluations, the more we can improve services for autistic children and adults.

Check out Autism Diagnosis: The Complete Guide for Parents for more information.

When you visit a neurologist, they’ll assess your child’s needs, run some tests (think imaging or EEG), and diagnose. From there, they’ll create a customized treatment plan. Medication, lifestyle tweaks, or maybe even a referral to another specialist could be on the table.

There unfortunately isn’t one test for all neurodevelopmental conditions. Most likely you will go into a visit to test one or two medical conditions. If you are looking for a comprehensive autism evaluation, developmental pediatricians, psychologists, or neuropsychologists are the preferred specialists who can diagnose autism.

No, neurologists focus mainly on non-surgical interventions. If your child needs surgery, neurologists might point you in the direction of a pediatric neurosurgeon.

A mental health professional (such as a pediatric psychologist) can help concerns around anxiety, depression, trauma, eating disorders, ADHD, behavioral challenges, OCD, grief/loss.

“Early Intervention” might be the provider’s way of describing services that they provide to babies or young children. However, it might also indicate that the provider is a vendor for your state’s publicly funded program. This means the services with this provider might be covered by your state! 

The first step in accessing these free services from your state is to get an evaluation. The evaluation will help the state determine what services your child qualifies for, if any. You can find your state’s local EI program by clicking here.