The recent layoffs at Texas Children’s Hospital exposed an underlying problem in the autism community.
The hospital announced on August 6 that they were laying off 5% off their staff, but assured worried patients that this would not impact their care.
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However, several parents reached out to KPRC 2, saying the layoffs affected their child’s speech therapist.
Benjamin Zimmerman’s son, Artie, has trouble communicating due to an autism diagnosis. Zimmerman said they’ve seen Artie show progress since starting speech therapy, so he was heartbroken when he found out about the layoffs.
“We had to wait a really long time for him to be assessed and to find somebody available,” Zimmerman said. “And even just to get a facility to take him in for speech therapy.”
“My wife and I watch the speech therapist, and we do our best to kind of mimic what she was doing, but we’re not trained. And we’re not professionals,” he added.
Thankfully, our reporting led to a positive outcome for this family. After initially putting him on a waitlist, TCH said they found a new speech therapist for Artie and booked him an appointment.
As a parent to an autistic child myself, I know all too well what the Zimmermans are going through.
My five-year-old son, Noah, was diagnosed just after his third birthday, and the struggle to get him treatment was arduous.
We called a number of speech therapists and Applied Behavioral Analysis therapy programs, only to be placed on waitlist after waitlist.
By the time we got him care, months had passed, at a time when professionals say early intervention is key.
During that time and in the years since, my husband and I have taken it upon ourselves to do all we can at home to help his speech progress. It’s true a trained professional is best, but if you find yourself on a waitlist, here are some exercises you can do for your speech delayed child.
- Model Language
The first speech therapist we ever took Noah to encouraged us to do this: “Imagine you’re a radio host and you can’t have dead air,” she explained. We narrate everything we are doing when Noah is watching us, and he will sometimes mimic what we do and say, modeling our language. Make sure to use phrases that contain words that your child already knows, progressing until you build bigger and bigger sentences.
- Sing Songs
The very first time we heard Noah communicate, it was through a song. We have been singing and playing children’s songs for him since he was born. One day it was raining, and Noah looked out the window and sang, “Rain, rain, go away!” He has mastered dozens of songs in multiple genres since, from Broadway musicals to rock bands like Queen! We will often sing the clean-up song to help him clean, or the going to bed song when it’s night-night time, and he always understands, even if he doesn’t cooperate! Songs are a great way to introduce new words and concepts to children who struggle processing spoken language.
- Visual Aids
One of our most successful exercises involves visual aids! We use flashcards and picture books to help Noah learn visually. Noah has learned the majority of his words this way. He can name every planet in our solar system, every farm animal, and every number up to 100! We are always introducing new words into his flash cards and picture books to help expand his vocabulary.
- Sensory Play
Keeping Noah focused can often be a challenge during speech therapy sessions, but if there’s one thing that can always keep his attention, it’s water sensory play! Whether we’re at the pool or just playing in the bathroom sink, he is never happier than when he’s splashing. We also use it as an opportunity to engage with him. When he spills water and makes a mess, we ask if he can clean it up, and he’ll grab a towel. Making sure your child is really participating in the session will make it more effective and enjoyable for everyone.
