Speech Therapist

[Mandybelle]

What is the difference between a Speech and Language Therapist and a ASD specialist Speech and Language therapist? I have a speech and language therapist coming to do a home visit with my child in September as he has poor social and communication skills but have just received a CAF form saying a referall for an ASD speech and language therapist to be involved? What do they do differently?

I'm guessing they specialised in working and using techniques that work best for children with autism.

So they must of taken an additional course or experience working with communication skills for children with autism.

Specialist ASD speech therapists have more experience and training in working with children with ASD. Children with ASD can still be seen by speech therapists, they do have knowledge of what to do too.

Where I work an initial assessment would be done by the speech therapist and then if more specialist support was needed they would be referred onto the ASD specialist. Which sounds like what is happening to your DC. Only the ASD specialist can provide assessment for ASD diagnosis in my area. Not sure how it works elsewhere.

Thank you, I had a visit from the speech therapist who also specialises in ASD and she said she thinks he does show some signs of autism so will be writing this in her report, just need to wait for that to come through now and then wait for another appointment with peadiatrician x

One has done a course and read some policy documents on our woefully inadequate UK accepted practice for treating children with autism. The other hasn't.

IME, speech therapists who work in language units or specialist speech and language schools with SLI children, also get plenty of experience of ASD children. Speech and language schools just won't get enough SLI children to survive - they have to take ASD children. One head of therapy told me the rule of thumb at DD's school was 40% ASD. The theory was that the SLI children benefited from the ASD children's superficially good language, while the ASD children benefited from the SLI children's better social skills and desire to make friends.

They haven't necessarily been on a course about it - they have just spent 20 years or more, working with ASD children and have great understanding of them.