Speech Therapy Goals for Autism
Judy is a parent of child with autism. She told me the other day, “My goal is that April will learn to communicate and have conversation skills.” This is the want I think most parents of children with autism yearn for–to have a conversation with their child. Parents often say “My child is smart, and I know they have more to say. if they would just talk.” As a speech therapist, I also wonder what the people with autism I work with would say if they could talk. With autism spectrum disorder delayed speech and language skills are one of the core impairments. Below are 50 goals for speech therapy for a child with autism. The goals progress from the minimally verbal (nonverbal) child to goals regarding feeding.
Speech Therapy Goals for Autism (Nonverbal)
- To pay attention to others
2. To imitate others’ nonverbal actions
3. To shift focus from toy to person
4. To request preferred objects or activities nonverbally
5. To follow pointing
6. To take turns when playing with others
Basic Language Functions
7. To request items verbally with part or whole words
8. To ask for help
9. To ask for repetition, “again”
10. To refuse
11. To answer “Yes/No” questions
12. To use AAC communication device for 1 hit sequence.
Early Scripts
13. To join-in and sing songs with routine phrases, “Brown, Brown Bear.” “Ready, Set…Go!”
14. To use greetings and salutations
15. To learn routine phrases “thank you”
16. To form the phrases “I want +____”
17. To form phrases and sentences with picture symbols.
Organization
18. To follow a schedule
19. To use a calendar
20. To transition from one activity to another using a picture schedule
Expression
21. To express emotions: happiness, anger, sadness,
22. To answer “What” questions
23. To answer “Where” questions
24. To answer “Who” questions
25. To answer “How” questions
26. To answer “Why” questions
27. To ask “Wh” questions
28. To talk about the past
29. To talk about the future
Comprehension
30. To understand facial expressions
31. To understand nonverbal communication
32. To stay with the group
33. To understand the goal of the group.
34. Social Skills
35. To start a conversation
36. To maintain a conversation
37. To end a conversation
38. To follow another person’s eye gaze
39. To have short 1-4 verbal turns with a peer
40. To have 5-10 verbal turns with a peer.
41. To be more accepting of disruptions in routine
42. To understand others have thoughts and feelings
43. To understand the size of the problem.
Feeding
44. Touch tolerate new foods in the same room.
45. To tolerate different food textures
46. To taste new foods
