Communication Skills

Communication challenges are one of the defining characteristics of Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorder, and refer to the ability to comprehend, detect, or apply language and speech to engage in discourse effectively with others. This also includes non-verbal communication, whereby the person may also have difficulty communicating through hand gestures, eye contact and facial expressions. It can seem like the autistic person lives in a world of their own, blind to the nuances and often complicated world of human interaction, that the rest of us pick up on easily. Delays and disorders in communication can range from simple sound substitution to the inability to understand or use one's native language. However, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is just that; a spectrum. The level of difficulty in grasping communication skills varies from person to person, and also at what age language skills begin to develop. Don't panic if your child is still struggling at age 5, children with Autism have often been known to develop meaningful language at age 6, 7 and even 8*.