The Role of Speech and Language Therapist in Autism Spectrum Disorders Intervention – An Inclusive Approach

Abstract

The chapter describes the possibilities of involving a speech-language therapist in the assessment of the pragmatic level of communication in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), where one of the most frequently impaired areas is communication pragmatics. These difficulties lead to a disruption of social interaction, which might be one of the obstacles to speech-language intervention in these children. The text is based on an originally developed testing material aimed at selected pragmatic-oriented communication situations relating to everyday activities and real life. Based on a comparison of domestic and international resources in this area, as well as mediated and own empirical experience, our assessment approach is based on the conclusion that pragmatics can be understood in different contexts and perspectives. The text presents the results of a partial survey comparing the performance of children with ASD and children with typical development. The assessment focused on the children's election of the correct picture of a pair of pictures that represent usual communication and social situations. The results of the research suggest fewer incorrect responses in children with ASD and in different areas compared with children with typical development. However, the results of a qualitative analysis indicate a necessity to expand the assessment of communication pragmatics by adding an individually specific qualitative analysis of children's performance.

A Comparison Controlled Study Examining Outcome for Children With Autism Receiving Intensive Behavioral Intervention (IBI)

“…The intervention was implemented in a one-to-one format in a separate room by a therapist who was assigned to the child. The treatment included elements from various types of interventions for ASD such as sensory integration therapy (Ayres, 1979), TEACCH (Mesibov et al, 2004; Schopler, Reichler, Bashford, et al, 1995), music therapy (Janzen & Thaut, 2018), the Picture Exchange Communication System (Bondy & Frost, 2001), alternative augmentative communication (Iacono et al, 2016; Schlosser & Wendt, 2008), applied behavior analysis (Cooper et al, 2020), speech and language therapy (Vitásková & Kytnarová, 2017), as well as other methods derived from personal clinical experience. Children also participated in other activities common to preschool programs for typically developing children in their daily routine.…”

Knowledge of autism among students at a South African Institute of Higher Education

“…Hartley-McAndrew, Doody and Mertz ( 2016 ) mentioned a lack of knowledge of specific diagnostic criteria in the new DSM-5 and screening measures. Speech-language therapists’ incomplete knowledge of aspects related to the assessment of autism, in domains related to communication, language, speech and social behaviours, negatively impacts the identification of younger individuals and infants with autism (Matenge 2014 ; Vitaskova & Kytnarova 2017 ). Speech-language therapists also did not indicate that assessment and treatment require a multidisciplinary approach, which may also indicate a gap in knowledge relating to the complexity of the disorder (Yates & Le Couteur 2016 ).…”

Social Communication and pragmatic skills of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Language Disorder

“…The minimum score attributed to a child with TLD was higher than the mean score attributed to the children with ASD. These differences were expected because interactive social and pragmatic impairments are systematically described in children with ASD ( 5 , 18 )…”