Analysis of methods and strategies of speech therapy for the development of speech and communication skills in childrend with ASD

Abstract

The article is devoted to the topical issue of the importance of communication skills and speech development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and approaches to speech therapy. In recent years, the number of children diagnosed with ASD has been increasing. This disorder significantly affects the quality of children's daily life, their social interaction due to difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, as well as behavior, intelligence and other aspects of the child. The data obtained indicate that children with ASD experience a delay in language development, which mainly manifests itself in the form of the absence of speech or delay in its development, the use of stereotyped language, repetition, etc. Impaired speech communication is one of the main symptoms of ASD and is the most common reason for seeking professional help from speech therapists and speech pathologists.
Thus, the development of speech and communication skills is an urgent issue of speech therapy intervention in children with ASD. The literature search has shown that most studies consider only certain intervention methods or a combination of two or three intervention methods that can be used in rehabilitation speech therapy. Game has been found to serve as a natural and fun platform for language development, allowing children with ASD to practice and improve their communication skills in a less structured and more enjoyable context. Speech-language pathologists incorporate game activities to create a dynamic, motivating environment that encourages the child with ASD to communicate. Technology-enhanced curricula can transform the learning experience by providing immediate feedback, promoting active participation, simplifying complex social situations, utilizing visual and multimodal interactions, and offering effective and inexpensive personalized instruction. Thus, this article summarizes the relevant literature and briefly presents the characteristics and methods of speech therapy aimed at developing speech and communication skills in children with ASD.