Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a constellation of symptoms related to impairments in social-communication, social skills and restricted and repetitive behaviors.  Recently, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 did away with subcategories of ASD such as Asperger's syndrome and replaced them with a severity scale for social-communication and restricted-repetitive behaviors.  

One can become quickly overwhelmed with the amount of information that exists regarding causes, treatments, prognoses, etc. for ASD.  The diagnostic process in this practice includes a thorough evaluation of language and cognition. The language assessment includes spoken and heard language with regard to:  grammar, phonology (speech sounds), vocabulary, social language and functional language use.  The assessment of cognition includes attention, memory, executive function and problem solving. Perhaps more importantly, based on caregiver priorities, all areas of the child's life will be examined to determine specific functional goals that will have the most intensive and immediate impact.  For children with ASD, treatment nearly always includes time with social groups. This may be children's Sunday school, playtime with neighbors, or even family time.  

Treating children with ASD is far from a “one-size-fits-all” protocol. Myriad treatment options exist and while some treatments are backed by research, no singular option has been determined to be best for all children. Therefore, it is critical to work with a speech-language pathologist with experience, expertise and who understands a wide range of intervention programs and techniques. As the saying goes, if you’ve seen one child with ASD, you’ve seen one child with ASD. As uniquely as symptoms of ASD manifest in individuals, each child and family are unique in their ambitions and tailoring treatment to these ambitions is paramount