Kristin Lyman MA CCC-SLP is a speech therapist at Child and Family Development and works at our Pineville office. She works with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and recently reviewed the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) National Outcomes Measurement System (NOMS) study about the importance and long lasting benefits of early intervention.
The study focused on 3 areas of measurable change in preschoolers with autism:
- Pragmatics
- Spoken language comprehension
- Spoken language production
The study revealed that outcomes or improvements in these 3 areas was dependent upon the number of speech therapy sessions provided. Children who demonstrated the most Functional Communication Measures (FCM) received 7-15 more sessions than those who made no or less progress.
Kristin agrees with the evidence of this study; that the number of therapy sessions preschool-aged kids with ASD receive is directly linked to the amount of progress they may make with verbal expression, language understanding, and social language. The earlier this intervention is provided, the more effective the therapy will be as well. She advises parents and caregivers with concerns about autism to pursue a speech-language and/or a psychological evaluation as early as possible for appropriate diagnosis and intervention as recommended. Don’t wait!
The ASHA Leader will post the full article in April, as part of Autism Awareness Month.
To learn more about autism, register for the upcoming 4/22/16 Conference, featuring Dr. Gary Mesibov, renowned expert in the field. Click here for more information.
C&FD speech therapists offer free 15-minute phone consultations to parents who have questions about their child’s communication skills.
