Bridging the Gap: Exploring Communication Tools for Children with Autism

As a driving force behind relationships and understanding, communication is a fundamental aspect of life. For children with autism, however, communication serves as an ongoing skill deficit that affects the expression of needs, sharing of feelings, and interaction with others. Fortunately, specialized communication tools are now available to help bridge the gap for these children, allowing them to find their voice and connect in more meaningful ways. This post explores the varying communication tools available for children with autism and how they enhance their overall communication skills and quality of life.

Visual Support Tools

Visual support tools are highly beneficial for children with autism, as many are visual learners. Tools such as picture exchange communication systems (PECS), visual schedules, and social stories employ images and symbols for representation, which can help children understand and navigate their worlds, reduce anxiety, and improve the ability to express what they want, think, and need.

PECS—allows children to communicate using pictures rather than words; the system can be especially useful for non-verbal children or those with limited speech, as it allows them to express themselves and engage in basic conversations.

Visual Schedules—Pictures or symbols are used in visual schedules to illustrate a series of activities or the steps of a specific activity. This helps children understand what is expected and what is happening now, and it follows with what comes next, giving them the security of routine.

Social stories—are brief descriptions of a particular situation, event or activity, that include specific information about what to expect in that situation, and why. They help children with autism to prepare for and manage social interactions, cope with changes, and understand social situations and expectations.

Technology-Based Tools

For children with autism, digital tools and apps are providing new opportunities to help engage in forms of communication. The broad range of tools and apps available allows tailoring to the needs of individual children, ensuring that there is an interactive and engaging way for every child to work on communication. Examples of technology-based tools that aid communication in children with autism include:

Speech-generating devices (SGDs): Many children who are non-verbal or have severe speech delays can communicate effectively using SGDs, like tablets that have specialized apps. These apps allow children to combine symbols and text to produce messages that the SGDs “speak” aloud.

Educational apps: Educational apps for children with autism cover every aspect of communication, from vocabulary building to understanding emotions and facial expressions. The advantage of many of these apps is that they use elements of gamification to make learning fun.

Sign Language

For some children with autism, sign language is an effective way to communicate. It’s useful for children who are non-verbal, and for children who have some verbal ability but struggle with certain aspects of speech. Learning key signs for basic needs, feelings and common items enables children to show what they want, helping to reduce frustration. People can use sign language with other tools to aid communication, in a multi-modal approach to communication.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

This is a general term for communication methods that are used to supplement or replace speech. AAC can be no-tech or high-tech. Low-tech options include sign language, picture boards, and other non-digital tools. Tech-based support includes hardware devices, custom software, and apps that are specifically designed to help individuals with communication difficulties. The goal of AAC is to help children with autism to communicate in a way that is effective, regardless of the child’s ability to speak.

The breadth of the spectrum means the communication tools for autism are as unique and individual as the children themselves. Identifying the right one (or ones) for a child requires a rigorous personalization of that engagement—and the patience and dedication to see it through. The payoff is immense in that child’s capacity to navigate the world, express herself, to connect to others—and to live.

Assisting the journey is a progressive evolution of tools and technologies that consistently uncover fresh opportunities. Just as human experience grows, so does the representation of autism.