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Communication Difficulties
in Autism
Hilary Kanaris
Speech and Language Therapist
MRCSLT. ACE (AUTISM)
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ESSENTIAL PRE-REQUISITES
Something to communicate about - an
awareness of ones needs and concepts
A means for communication either spoken language or some
alternative
A reason for communicating - an
environment which is responsive but
does not anticipate every need
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Main reasons why
communication is difficult
People who have Autism show……
Little motivation to communicate
Little or no shared understanding of the
world
Find turn-taking difficult
Do not understand Social Timing
Poor pragmatic skills
Unable to use their language flexibly or
creatively
Lack of social use of language
Non-verbal communication is impaired
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Pragmatic Skills
An ability to take into account what the
listener already knows
Ability to infer the speaker’s intent
when listening to someone
Knowing the ‘how’ ‘when’ ‘where’ and ‘why’
to use language appropriately
Knowing not to interrupt conversations
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Non Verbal Communication
Facial Expressions
Eye Contact
Body Language
Pointing
Use of gestures
Turn Taking
Listening Skills
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COMMON
CHARACTERISTICS
Heavily dependent on “echolalia”
Use of repetitive & stereotyped speech
Monotonous or repetitive intonation
Rigid use of language
Literal interpretation of language
Pedantic & over-precise use of language
Abnormal and eccentric use of language
Difficulty with pronouns
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How to help Communication
Rather than merely teaching words
(Vocabulary) we should also be teaching:
Form - Saying the words
Context - with different people, places and
occasions
Function - request, comment, refusal,
Make sure we only teaching one of these at a
time
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General rules
 Understand how the person thinks
 Start from where the person is now
 Be flexible!
 Use their interests
 Teach new skills over and over again
 Teach new things one to one
 Cut down on external distractions
 Introduce structure
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Helping Communication
Create the right conditions
Develop early social play
Join in with them -imitate them, wait
for them to imitate you
Encourage and develop “Echolalia”
Teach pointing
Use Visual Timetables
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Helping Communication
Get their attention FIRST! (Use their
name at beginning)
Reduce your language
Use visual clues to reinforce speech
Break tasks down into small achievable
steps
Make it motivating!
Wait up to 15 seconds for response
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Strategies for helping
communication
Use a ‘Minimal Speech’ approach
Use a ‘Proximal Communication’ approach
Avoid focussing on abstract terms
Back up speech with a visual clue
Use rhythm, singing and music
Make it fun
Avoid too much prompting
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“During the last couple of years, I have
become more aware of a kind of electricity
that goes on between people. I have
observed that when people are together
and having a good time, their speech and
laughter follow a rhythm….I have always
had a hard time fitting in with this rhythm
and I usually interrupt conversations
without realising my mistake.”
Temple Grandin (1995)
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