Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Will "Autistic" Like Symptoms Go Away Once A Child's Speech Improves?

Response from Dr. Kathy Jakielski:
"Autism and Childhood Apraxia of Speech are different disorders, although some children may have both. For this question it would be so dependent on which "autistic-like symptoms" are present. For example, if a child clearly wants/enjoys interpersonal interaction but is reticent to interact because of a lack of success getting others to understand due to a speech motor disorder like CAS, that is one thing. In that instance, it is likely that they will interact more successfully and willingly as intelligibility improves. However, if a child actually does have autism or significant "autistic-like symptoms" and apraxia, then EACH part of the child's diagnosis truly needs worked on it and of itself. There is no guarantee that symptoms of autism will be eliminated solely with improved speech intelligibility. It is likely therapy will also involve more than speech therapy and work on things such as social relatedness, language, sensory defensiveness, possibly behavior, etc."

No comments:

Post a Comment