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Showing posts from August, 2025

What skills are developed in Speech Therapy?

  Again, the nature of the speech therapy support will vary depending on the individual in question. However, these sessions often include: Learning how to better understand and approach certain emotions. For example, learning how facial expressions express both positive and negative feelings and how we can respond to these non-verbal cues. Learning how to attribute meaning and nuance to non-verbal signs of communication. For example, children may be asked to match facial expressions, gestures, or body language to specific phrases or sayings. This is sometimes achieved through the use of  Social Stories . This technique will help children recognize these social cues, moving forward to better respond to these situations. Learning how to modulate tone of voice to convey emotions. This technique can also be used to understand speech patterns and nuances in conversation, such as sarcasm. Working on making clearer speech sounds or even developing muscles in the mouth or jaw to faci...

Understanding Autism: Special Interests

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  While autism and related disorders impact different individuals in different ways, many individuals with autism develop a special interest.   In fact, one study found that some 75-95% of autistic individuals have a special interest that often begins during childhood but sticks with them throughout their life.   Working to better understand your child’s special interests can help you provide them with support and guidance moving forward. What is a Special Interest? Special interests are best defined as “an intense focus on specific topics.” For example, if given the opportunity, your child may dedicate all their free time to this interest or bring it up in conversation at every opportunity. Why do Children with Autism Develop Special Interests? Various research studies are dedicated to understanding why children with autism may develop special interests. For example, some researchers believe that “young children with autism may experience greater rewards from n...