Rhyme and No Reason!

For those of you who follow this blog, you may recall that I am a speech and language pathologist.  Since May is Better Hearing and Speech Month and ASHA or the American Speech and Hearing Association focuses on autism during the second week of the month, I thought I would share some information with you.

According to the organization, Autism Speaks, autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development.  These disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors.  They include autistic disorder (sometimes referred to as “classic autism”), Rett Syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and Asperger syndrome.  ASD can be associated with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination, and attention and physical health issues such as sleep and gastrointestinal disturbances. Some persons with ASD…