One of the main reasons people contact me is when their child is either suspected or diagnosed with autism and is expereincing communication difficulties.  Statistics indicate that forty percent of children with autism spectrum disorder do not communicate verbally.  However, while language delay or a loss of communication abilities that had formerly been acquired can be a sign of autism, poor language development does not autimotically mean that a child is autistic.  Speech delay can definitely occur independently of autism. 

Whatever the cause, speeh and language delays can lead to behavioural problems due to the frustration that is caused by not being able to express his or her needs.  For that reason, first and foremost we need to help autistic children to find a way to communicate their needs, which we can do in a variety of ways. 

One solution could be to identify therapeutic devices that will help them and will also help us to understand what their degree of cognitive ability is.  In other words, we need to be sure that they have enough understanding of the world around them to actually want to communicate.  Then once we establish that they are mentally capable, we need to know whether they are physically able to form words and have adequate oro-motor skills, which would include working with a speech and language therapist.  To complement these physical and mental abilities, I would use functional medicine for autism because that can help to ensure the child as the right physiological conditions for their body systems to function effectively.

Difference between speech delay and loss of speech in a autistic children

There are various types of autism spectrum disorders and each can have a different types of speech delays.  For example, in regressive autism, a child will meet all the usual miestones up until around the age of 18 months to two years.  This means that they will be able to communicate, make eye-contact, say some words and respond o instructions.  Then, over the next few years they may lose this previously acquired ability to such an extent that they become ‘non-verbal’., they may lose eye-contact and seemingly ‘disconnect’ from the world around them. 

In pathological demand avoidance, which is a sub-type of autism, a chiild may experience language delay due to ineffective language processing, but timely and appropriate intervention can bring their communication skills up to the same level as their peers. 

Children with Asbergers Syndrome may not experience the same speech and language delays as other chilldren with autism, but they do, however, experience difficulty with communication and social interactions. 

Therapeutic Approach to delayed speech and Autism Spectrum Disorder

The therapeutic approach to speech delay in autistic children includes reading to them, speaking to them, and giving them the chance to ‘model’ language. One Mum I worked with recently told me she used to walk around public places such as the playground, shops and car parks and she would point to every sign and read it out to her son.  Within two months of us working together using functional medicine for autism, her son began copying her by pointing to the sign and saying the words.  That told us he was able to connect mentally with what his Mum had been doing and that he understood enough to be able to copy.  As his speech and language improved, we then  needed to find out was if he could understand what the signs meant.  For example, he read a sign saying ‘No motorcycles’, so his Mum then set about trying to work out if he understood that motorcycles were not allowed there and that he would therefore not see any. 

Speech & Language Therapy for Autism

At the same time, we thought her child may begin to imrpove his communicaion skills with speech therapy whcih was available in school.  The speech and language therapist noticed a significant improvement not just in his language skills, but also in his ability to sit still for longer and focus on what she was trying to teach him.  As his attention span increased, he was able to learn how to use an increasing number of picture cards.  This eventually led to him finding ways of communicating his needs EG hungry, thirsty, toilet, tired etc.

Although he had officially been diagnosed with autism, at this point, we knew he had the mental capacity to understand, so the speech and language therapist focused on helping him to articulate the worlds he saw on the cards.  At the same time, his Mum worked on sentences such as ‘what is that’ which he was able to catch onto very quickly, but sometimes he could not finish the sentence, so he began with his newly acquired or re-learned words, then babbled the rest of the sentence.  His Mum could see that that he knew there was more to be said, but he did not have the worlds to express it, but that within weeks his expressive language improved significantly. 

Receptive Language Skills and Behaviour Improvement

Another very important development was in what is referred to as ‘receptive language’.  Many children with autism may not be aware of danger around them and it ccan be very frightening for parents to call out a warning of danger if their child shows no sign of comprehension of the warning.  In this instance, this little boy’s receptive language improved to such an extent that his Mum said she no longer had to run around the park with him keeping him within ‘grabbing’ distance so he couldn’t run off into the road.  She said her life improved drastically because she was able to take him to the park and she could sit down while he played in the children’s contained area without running away.  Furthermore, whenever she said ‘stop’ or ‘come here’, he obeyed immediately. 

Functional Medicine for Language Delay or Regression in Autism.

Non-invasive functional testing can help us to understand the phyisioogy that is influencing speech delay in children, loss of previously acquired communication skills and, of course, many other associted conditions.  We can test metabolism to find out if a child has the right nutrients to enable body systems to function correctly, we look at detoxification abilities because certain toxins in the body can block various neurotransmitters.  We also look at whether there could be genetic factors that affect the body’s ability to process certain vital nutrients.  

While every chidl is unique, there are certain imbalances that are prevalent in autistic children that, if addressed early on, can make a eery significant difference in our ability to help children with autism to live a more fulfilled life.   

If a child has a speech delay it can impact their ability to learn in school, they may be less likely to make or keep friendships going, they may become angry or aggressive out of frustration through not being able to express their needs.  

Mitochondrial functioning and cerebral folate deficiency can contribute to or exacerbate speech delays,so we will take a closer look at what that means.

Mitochondrial Function and speech delay in a child with autism

Mitochondria are responsible for energy production, which is essential for speech.  We can get a good picture of mitochondrial function by conducting a state-of-the-art functional test known as an Organic Acids Test.  This is taken using a simple urine sample that you can do at home then have collected by courier.  If collecting the sample proves too difficult, the lab will send out nappy liners which you can use overnight to make it easier.  

Impact of Cerebral Folate Deficiency on language delay in children with autism

Most people know that a gluten-free, casein-free diet is one of the starting points in addressing nutrition for autism, but most people do not know why.  There are several reasons, triggering systemic inflammation is a key one. However, another important factor is that dairy can block folate absorption which leads to cerebral folate deficiency which in turn causes speech delays.

Dietary Supplements for speech delay in children with autism

Different supplements work well for different people, which is why organic acid and metabolic testing are so beneficial.  These can give us a very good picture of what is happening so that treatment can be personalized.  However, there are certain supplements that seem to benefit many autistic children.

One of the main supplements is Methylcobalamin which helps with methylation, a bodily process that is vitally important for various bodily processes, including speech.

Another is Folinic acid which supports methylation and mitochondrial function. This is not the same as ffolic acid, which may not be as effective as folinic acid.

Summary

In summry, it is fair to say that communication delays are common in children with autism spectrum disorder, but that does not mean that there is nothing that can be done to improve their communication skills.  The path is seldom ‘smooth’ and predictable, but there are definitely things that can make a desirable outcome more likely to happen. 

There are some supplements that are available to healthcare professionals but which are not available to the public without recommendation. Ideally, you would have a full functional medicine workup done for your child with autism, so we can personalize his or her treatment. 

A speech and language therapist can help children learn and communicate and is a valuable addition to your team, especially if your child has the right nutrients for focus, concentration and the fine motor skills needed to control the tongue and mouth. You can even access online speech therapy, if it is not offered in your schoool. If you suspect that your child may have a speech delay, discuss it with the child’s school first to see if they have noticed anything because they will be familiar with the markers for speech and language development. If they agree that your child could benefit from an assessment, approach your doctor to see about getting a diagnosis and at the same time, begin looking into functional medicine for autism. 

3 Natural Ways to help your autistic child to talk better:

• Functional Medicine for Autism
• Functional Nutrition for Autism
• Speech and Language Therapy
• Picture Communication Cards

If you would like to discuss this further, please book a free functional medicine call with Simone.