5 Tips to Help Families With a Diagnosis of Autism

As a speech-language pathologist, you’ll encounter many opportunities to work with people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some families you work with as a speech-language pathologist may be new to their child’s autism spectrum diagnosis, and some may have already had a chance to process it. Either way, these tools can help you navigate the diversity of experiences, abilities and personalities among individuals and families dealing with a diagnosis of autism: 1. Trust your gut! And encourage parents to trust theirs as well. When asked to look back on their early days of parenting their child on the spectrum, most parents remember an event or a behavior they felt was not quite neurotypical development. As professionals, we likely maintain our own set of red flags—some clinically defined and some not so clinically defined. Trust your instincts and engage families in open conversations about what you notice. Encourage families to share their thoughts. Value what parents choose to share—they are the expert on their child’s behaviors. 2. Talk to the family. Going through the diagnostic process is challenging for families. Parents learn to cope with a new reality of what autism means for their family. For some families, a diagnosis simply means adding structure to routines, while other families may feel anxious about how to handle this situation. Each family adapts in its own way. Our job includes educating and supporting the entire family. Start by asking question...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech Therapy Authors: Tags: Speech-Language Pathology Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Language Disorders Schools social skils Source Type: blogs