Speech and social communication of young children with autism spectrum disorders – a developmental perspective

Abstract

Autism is a neurodevelopmental phenomenon characterized by varying levels of dysfunctions or disorders in many developmental areas. Changing neurobiological and clinical knowledge allows us to better understand the process of autism development and recognize its symptoms in younger and younger children. Language development, as well as the ability to communicate in autism, may manifest itself in many ways and depend on age, the severity of autistic features, cognitive deficits, intellectual level and co-occurring disorders. Depending on the depth of the disorder, children have different levels of ability to develop speech naturally. Communication difficulties include both verbal and non-verbal communication, including gestures, intonation, melody, rhythm of speech, facial expression and body posture, which determine effective communication in a specific social context. The development of speech and communication of children at risk of autism and diagnosed with autism should be considered as highly disharmonious, varied and depending on individual course of development. Speech development disorders in young children with autism is one of the best predictors of the child’s further development. The earlier and better speech develops, the better the child’s developmental prognosis.