Speech Therapy

Speech-language therapy helps a child communicate, whatever form that communication takes. A speech-language pathologist (SLP) may work on spoken language, but also on gestures, picture systems, and AAC devices for children who are minimally verbal or nonspeaking. Crucially, a strong autism-informed SLP does not treat speech as the only acceptable outcome; the goal is reliable communication, not forcing speech for its own sake. Speech therapy frequently works alongside occupational therapy and other supports. Our autism therapy options guide explains how these pieces fit together.