By Michael Audas – Speech Pathologist

Parents whose children are referred for a diagnostic autism assessment are often confused as to why and how speech pathology figures into the diagnosis: often, they are told that they must complete a ’speech assessment,’ only to wonder how, when their child ’speaks’ perfectly well, such an assessment could in any way help identify whether or not their child has autism. But while the assessment will be completed by the speech pathologist, it is not in fact an assessment of language development; whereas a ’speech assessment,’ properly so called, assesses a child’s ability to form speech sounds and words.

Diagnosing psychologists and paediatricians are interested in language development, because delays in a child’s language development are often one of the earliest apparent red flags for autism—particularly if the pattern of that language development is uneven in nature. They are also interested in a child’s pragmatic language skills—or how he or she uses language in practical, social ways; deficits in this area, often strongly point to an autism spectrum disorder.