- My child can speak words and can even sing rhymes; can he still be diagnosed with Autism?
Yes. Autism spectrum disorder is a disorder of communication and it’s not merely a speech delay. A child with autism may not respond to his name or follow instructions and the same child may be able to sing rhymes or name colors or alphabets. This is because the child probably has been exposed to most of the time to these words which he has learned and at this stage is merely repeating the words without a clear understanding of its meaningful usage.
- My child has been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will he speak?
A child with autism though may present with a delay in speaking meaningful words but impairment of communication is the hallmark. With proper interventions, the child learns to communicate first- making eye contact, attending and engaging in activities with parents, following instructions. Once these skills are in place, the work is done on expressive language which is speech. Most of the cases presenting are of milder range and with proper early interventions, they are able to gain basic speech in most cases and advanced language skills too. But it may be noted there may be a small number who may remain nonverbal. An individualized targeted plan is extremely essential and regular follow-up on time to time basis of the skills achieved should be done with trained professionals.