by Sarah Warburton

When you chat with a friend, you do more than form words, you also listen to what they say…and pick up on nonverbal cues like facial expressions, tone of voice, and body language. People with autism may find it hard to produce the right sounds…and to hold a conversation with another person. Dana and Jason Johnson are the speech therapists/husband and wife team who founded Speech Therapy Unlimited. They say, “We offer solutions to help individuals on the autism spectrum build bridges, so they can learn to use language and to communicate with others.”

The first barrier to communication may be speech problems. Dana says, “A person with autism may not talk at all, may utter sounds instead of words, may hum or babble, may only repeat the words of other people, or may speak in a monotone. If a person’s language is not there at all, we might start with picture boards, or electronic aids (Jason really loves some of the new apps). If a person can speak, but is difficult to understand, we’ll dip into our ‘speech therapy toolbox’ for exercises to expand and compress speech sounds, improve articulation, and work on the rhythm and flow of sentences.”

Learning to speak is only the first step. “We never forget the ultimate goal of speech is communication,” says Jason. “Some of our patients with autism rely on memorizing words or phrases without understanding them, repeating back words or phrases to communicate, and others have trouble with eye contact and gestures, understanding words in different contexts, and coming up with a variety of language. We’ll find the best match on our wide staff of speech therapists…so the therapy we offer will be personal and flexible. Improving communication may happen through bonding over a child’s special interest, recounting the events of the day, or narrating through play.”

“We can’t overstate the importance of building communication skills,” says Dana. “When a child with autism has a tantrum, that may be their only way to communicate frustration over being misunderstood or ignored. With persistence and patience, we’ll work to help people with autism find their voice!”

Speech Therapy Unlimited, PLLC – most major insurance accepted
No Headaches, No Unreasonable Terms, Just Great Speech Therapists!
281-746-3053
12808 West Airport Blvd. Ste 332
Sugar Land, TX 77478
www.speechtherapyunlimited.com