Autism and Communication (cont.)
Who as affected by autism?
Autism is one of the most common developmental
disabilities. Individuals are of all races and ethnic and socioeconomic
backgrounds. Current estimates suggest that approximately 400,000 individuals in
the United States have autism. Autism is three to four times more likely to
affect boys than girls. Autism occurs in individuals of all levels of
intelligence. Approximately 75 percent are of low intelligence while 10 percent
may demonstrate high intelligence in specific areas such as math.
How do speech and language normally develop?
The most intensive period of
speech and language development is during the first three years of life, a
period when the brain is developing and maturing. These skills appear to develop
best in a world that is rich with sounds, sights, and consistent exposure to the
speech and language of others. At the root of this development is the desire to
communicate or interact with the world.
The beginning signs of communication occur in the first few days of life when
an infant learns that a cry will bring food, comfort, and companionship.
Newborns also begin to recognize important sounds such as the sound of their
mother's voice. They begin to sort out the speech sounds (phonemes) or building
blocks that compose the words of their language. Research has shown that by 6
months of age, most children recognize the basic sounds of their native
language.
As the speech mechanism (jaw, lips, tongue, and throat) and voice mature, an
infant is able to make controlled sound. This begins in the first few months of
life with "cooing," a quiet, pleasant, repetitive vocalization. Usually by 6
months of age an infant babbles or produces repetitive syllables such as "ba,
ba, ba" or "da, da, da." Babbling soon turns into a type of nonsense speech
called jargon that often has the tone and cadence of human speech but does not
contain real words. By the end of their first year, most children have mastered
the ability to say a few simple words. Children are most likely unaware of the
meaning of their first words, but soon learn the power of those words as others
respond to them.
By 18 months of age most children can say 8 to 10 words and, by age 2, are
putting words together in crude sentences such as "more milk." During this
period children rapidly learn that words symbolize or represent objects,
actions, and thoughts. At this age they also engage in representational or
pretend play. At ages three, four, and five a child's vocabulary rapidly
increases, and he or she begins to master the rules of language. These rules
include the rules of phonology (speech sounds), morphology (word formation),
syntax (sentence formation), semantics (word and sentence meaning), prosody
(intonation and rhythm of speech), and pragmatics (effective use of language).
Next: What causes speech and language problems in autism? »
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