We provide speech therapy online for children, adolescents and adults with autism.
We are a registered NDIS provider and use an inclusive approach to therapy, where the person can be in the comfort and familiarity of their own home.
How can speech therapy benefit people with autism?
Speech therapy can be highly beneficial for individuals with autism, primarily because communication challenges are one of the hallmark characteristics of the condition. Here are several ways in which speech therapy can make a positive impact:
1. **Improved Communication Skills**: Speech therapy helps individuals with autism develop both verbal and non-verbal communication skills. Therapists work on language development, sentence construction, and expressive language to facilitate better communication.
2. **Social Skills Development**: Many people with autism struggle with social interactions. Speech therapists often incorporate social communication strategies to help clients understand social cues, turn-taking in conversations, and appropriate topic initiation and maintenance.
3. **Understanding and Processing Language**: Therapists can aid in improving receptive language skills, which involve understanding spoken language. This is crucial for following instructions, answering questions, and comprehending conversations.
4. **Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)**: For individuals who have limited verbal skills, speech therapists can introduce AAC devices or strategies (like picture exchange systems or speech-generating devices) that enable them to communicate more effectively.
5. **Articulation and Phonological Skills**: Some individuals with autism may struggle with speech clarity. Speech therapy can address articulation issues, helping clients pronounce words more clearly and effectively.
6. **Pragmatic Language Skills**: Speech therapists focus on pragmatic language, which includes the social use of language. This might involve understanding how to adjust language in different contexts, using language for various purposes, and recognizing and responding to the perspectives of others.
7. **Self-Regulation and Emotional Expression**: Communication difficulties can lead to frustration and anxiety. Speech therapy can help individuals express their needs and emotions more accurately, potentially reducing behavioral issues that stem from communication breakdowns.
8. **Family Education and Support**: Speech therapists often work with families to provide strategies and tools to support communication at home, ensuring that progress is consistent across different environments.
9. **Individualized Support**: Speech therapy can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each individual, recognizing that autism is a spectrum and that each person may have different strengths and challenges.
10. **Building Confidence**: As individuals with autism make progress in their communication skills, their confidence in social situations can improve, fostering more meaningful interactions with peers and family members.
Overall, speech therapy can play a crucial role in enhancing communication and social interaction skills for people with autism, contributing to their overall development and quality of life.
Services for children, adolescents and adults
We have speech therapists who work with children, adolescents and adults, and we have therapists who have experience with autism. Read more about our therapists here.
NDIS registered provider
We are a registered NDIS provider and work with self-managed, plan-managed and agency-managed clients.
If your are an NDIS provider or support coordinator we can provide reliable speech therapy for clients with autism in any location. Refer a client and we’ll connect you to the right clinician.
Is online speech therapy effective?
Yes! A growing body of evidence shows that online delivery of therapy can be as effective as face to face. Online therapy has many other benefits too, including being convenient and accessible for people in regional and rural areas.
How does online speech therapy work?
At Umbo online therapy is not just zoom plus business-as-usual. It’s much more diverse than simply videoconferencing. Umbo therapists provide an individualised approach to each person, using the latest evidence, and a variety of technologies and engagement techniques.
Umbo champions person-centred therapy. It means the person and their family/support people leads the conversation. We believe that the most effective therapy occurs when support is given in the environment where the person lives, learns, works or plays. Therefore we work with the family, and teach skills to you or to other supporters. This means you’re achieving real-life goals, rather than just achieving goals in a clinic.
We are a certified social enterprise helping Australian families access allied health services.