Despite similarities, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is not Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder (SCD). SCD first appeared in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual in 2013. SCD is a newer discovery and the symptoms of ASD and SCD are similar, even overlapping, yet different.

A person struggling with SCD may have trouble with tones or sharing their thoughts. Speech-language therapy is a main part of treatment. Speech, nonverbal communication, and social cues are the most common problems for individuals.

People with SCD will have trouble understanding the meaning of their interactions. Individuals with autism will experience symptoms common of SCD and have other symptoms.

If you suspect someone you love has SCD, keep reading. This article will outline the signs and treatments of SCD. To learn more about it, let’s start with how it gets misdiagnosed.

Diagnosing SCD vs. ASD

There are many ways to separate Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder from autism. Visits to doctors and speech pathologists will be necessary. Hearing tests and other screenings ensure the person is not misdiagnosed.

People with autism repeat certain behaviors and have disruptive behaviors. Individuals with SCD will not display these behaviors. People with SCD struggle to adjust their communication based on the specific situation.

Collecting information from parents, teachers or significant others is an ongoing process. Interviews, questionnaires and personal observations are examples of the type of information needed. A look at family medical history will provide insight in making an assessment.

ASD Specific Behavioral Signs

There are some consistent signs shared among those along the autism spectrum. Here are the most common:

• Twirling, jumping, rocking, flipping the hands, headbanging, and other repetitive behavior.

• Obsession with putting things in order or items having a certain placement.

• Extreme fixation on rituals and routines.

• Repeating of sounds, syllables, words and/or phrases in excess.

• Very preoccupied with specific objects or subjects.

• Odd responses to sensory stimulation, especially sound, and visual chaos.

• Doesn’t take part in pretend or make-believe activity.

SCD Behavioral Signs

In comparison, there are some Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder-specific signs. They differ slightly from ASD, but here are some important distinctions:

• Not responding to people in a way that is understandable.

• Interrupting others during conversation.

• May not use gestures such as waving and pointing.

• Difficulty expressing feelings and emotions.

• Changing the topic or losing track of what is being discussed.

• Difficulty using words as needed to make conversation.

• Trouble making friends and maintaining friendships.

• Delays in speech or language development which can even include disinterest in talking.

Treatment of SCD and ASD

There are many different types of treatment available. Speech and language therapy is very helpful in the treatment of people with either SCD or ASD. Early diagnosis is also great because it gives the person a headstart.

Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder Treatments

Bear in mind many of the treatments for SCD are also helpful in the treatment of ASD. Treatment should focus on improvements in functional communication skills specific to social situations. A focus on the individual’s needs will also need to take precedent.

Develop tools that will be most beneficial in the person’s daily engagements. In some cases, scripts help the person handle common conversations. These can help identify weaknesses and practice overcoming social roadblocks.

Social interactions need encouragement within and outside of observable settings. A therapist can train family members on a variety of strategies to help with engagement.

Involvement of school staff is likely the best route for children. This will ensure practice and feedback in a variety of social situations is taking place. It’s also important to prevent any bullying situations.

Autism Spectrum Disorder Treatments

Trial and error, a great team of people and patience will be necessary to properly treat ASD. There are four categories of treatment when dealing with autism.

Treatment of Behavior and Communication

Approaches that help involve structure, organization, direction, and family participation. Below are some specific treatments.

• Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is popular. ABA comes in several forms but generally speaking, involves tracking and measuring behaviors. Promotion of good behavior and discouragement of bad behavior is the general goal.

• Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-Based Approach (DIR) or floortime is another form of treatment. DIR focuses on the development of feelings and relationships. It works for peers, caregivers or family. How the child deals with sensory stimulation like smells and sounds is also addressed.

• Occupational Therapy teaches everyday skills. Independence is the goal here. Focus can be on getting better at eating, bathing and understanding others

• Sensory Integration Therapy helps the person handle things like sights, sounds, and smells. This form of therapy is good for people that struggle with touch or noisy environments.

• Speech Therapy helps to improve a person’s communication skills. This therapy will help the person develop the style of communication best suited for them. Some people may be better at using pictures to communicate or gestures rather than words.

Dietary Approaches

Consult a doctor before trying a dietary approach. Methods used include removing foods that contain gluten, milk, soy and/or sugar from the diet. Vitamin supplements fill in any nutritional gaps and can increase cognitive performance.

There isn’t much scientific support for this method, unfortunately.

Medication

There are medicines that can help with some of the symptoms of ASD. Medication that helps with an inability to focus or even high energy levels may be quite helpful.  Medicines treating seizures and depression have also been effective.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Several treatments falling under this category also fall under dietary approaches. Consult a doctor before beginning any form of alternative medicine or complementary treatment.

Epsom baths, gluten-free diets, and use of natural home products are good practices. These practices have come under controversy because they lack scientific support.

The More You Know

We know this can be a lot to take in. Hopefully, this article has helped with understanding Social Pragmatic Communication Disorder. You may have more questions about SPCD and we’re here to help.

You may even be ready to begin treatment for your child or even a person you provide care. Take a moment to look over our online speech therapy services.

You can always find updated information available on our website. Contact us if you can’t find what the answers on our page. The more we know about SPCD, the better the quality of life we can provide.

Each year, there are 9.9 million new cases of dementia. This disorder poses financial strife for both patients and our health care systems. Its economic impact is huge- the fight against dementia costs nearly $818 billion per year.

Many patients opt for rehabilitation or occupational therapy, in addition to cognition-enhancing medication. An increasingly popular option of the treatment for dementia is speech therapy.

Learning how to effectively communicate with others is imperative for dementia patients. But, speech therapy doesn’t just treat lost speech and language function, as many think.

It also improves memory loss deficits and many other cognitive functions. Let’s take a further look into why speech therapy is a viable treatment option.

What is Speech Therapy?

At its core, speech therapy is an intervention service focused on improving both verbal and non-verbal language. There are two basic components that a speech pathologist teaches.

1. Addressing articulation, fluency, and voice-volume recognition through mouth coordination
2. How to use and express language through a variety of traditional and alternative communication forms (i.e. written, body, sign, social media, computer, etc.)

Dementia patients tend to seek speech therapy to improve their current functions. It’s common for speech-related issues to progress with the onset of dementia.

But, in some instances, patients with Alzheimer’s and other dementias speak just fine. They still often seek an individualized therapy to combat their cognitive deficits.

Stages of Dementia

Before we discuss the benefits of speech therapy, let’s look at the three stages of dementia.

Early Stage

Gradual confusion and mood/personality changes mark the early signs of dementia. It’s common for patients to become irritable or frustrated over unusual things. You also may notice your loved one to develop anxious and/or antisocial tendencies.

Routine chores become far more taxing, as initiative slowly declines. Not only does it take longer for patients to complete tasks, but they’re also less focused to finish.

Patients tend to get lost more easily, so going out in public also becomes more challenging. You may also notice your loved one is commonly misplacing their personal items. They could accuse others of stealing or hiding and grow more irritable.

Middle Stage

The middle stage of dementia is more of an ongoing progression of early symptoms. You’ll notice their confusion is much more evident than before. Their memory loss has heightened, so they’re forgetting even the most recent events.

Dementia symptoms are much more prevalent in the late afternoons and nighttime. You may find your loved one struggles more right before bed. It’s common for them to be suspicious, irritable, fidgety, and restless.

They start forgetting who their family members and close friends are in this stage. They may be more talkative towards strangers or mistake strangers as someone they know.

Final Stage

The final stage of dementia is very distressing for both patients and caretakers. Most patients have lost the ability to recognize those closest to them. They may even not recognize themselves in the mirror.

Without treatment, patients may lose the ability to communicate with others. You’ll notice they hardly use words to interact, but rather groans, moans, and screams.

Even with a good diet, it’s common for them to lose weight. They grow self-conscious about their eating habits because they’re more fidgety and shaky. They may also sleep more than usual.

Speech Therapy Treatment for Dementia

Dementia affects a variety of cognitive functions, including memory, attention, and visual perception. This accumulation of symptoms often leads to impaired judgment, disorientation, and even depression.

Speech therapy is a great way for patients to maintain a level of independence for longer. It helps stimulate cognitive ability through activities related to the underlying cognitive domain.

Individuals working with a speech pathologist learn how to compensate for their deficits. They learn to modify their environment, which is crucial. This helps them adapt to the ongoing cognitive changes caused by dementia.

There are several different memory regurgitation techniques such as spaced retrieval, errorless learning. Many dementia patients also rely on the use of memory Books and other types of external memory aids.

Speech-language pathologists can also assess how a patient eats, drinks, and swallows. If there appears to be any dysfunction, they’ll offer management strategies for mealtime.

They can also gauge the individual’s capacity to consent to treatment and care. Caretakers should rely on this person to communicate relevant information to the patient. This ensures they’re able to process the information as accurate as possible.

Caregivers of Dementia Patients

If you care for someone with dementia, you could also learn quite a bit from a speech therapist. They offer support to caretakers who wish to learn how to manage their loved one’s symptoms.

Learning how to communicate with your loved one can make a world of difference. After all, dementia patients’ behavior is hardly random. It’s often triggered by specific conditions related to their direct environment.

Improved communication among patient and caretaker can also lead to a better quality of life on both ends. It minimizes stress and anxiety and fosters a stronger sense of peer relations.

Final Thoughts on Speech Therapy

Dementia is a heartbreaking condition that claims millions of new victims each year. Patients eventually lose the ability to communicate and use other cognitive functions. That’s why it’s imperative they find the right treatment.

Great Speech offers videoconferencing technology to deliver individualized therapy sessions. Those seeking treatment for dementia no longer have the need to go into an office. They can tap into the power of speech therapy right from their homes.

Schedule a free consultation with one of our team members today!

Traumatic brain injury is getting more notoriety these days now that we know more about the brain, concussions and the risk of such injuries. In recent years, there were close to 3 million emergency room cases related to brain injuries.

If you happen to suffer one of these injuries, it’s important that you work hard to heal up and get your full cognitive function back. In this regard, you will want to use the tips below to guide you.

Get Speech Therapy After a Traumatic Brain Injury

One of the biggest dangers of traumatic brain injury is the fact that your speech and communication capability may start to slip.

You may deal with some clarity issues or temporarily lose your ability to communicate as a whole. In order to bounce back from such an injury, speech therapy might be just what the doctor ordered.

This can help you not only formulate words and conversations, but also formulate thought.

After dealing with an injury, you may have trouble finding the right words or getting them out. You might also have some difficulty following conversations or understanding what others are talking about.

When you get full speech therapy, you’ll gain these faculties back, in addition to working on your reading, writing and listening skills.

Practice Mindfulness Meditation

Since a traumatic brain injury makes it difficult to focus and formulate thought, you should look into mindfulness meditation.

You will be able to build cognitive function and create neural pathways by regularly engaging in meditation each day. There are lots of different ways to meditate, so do your due diligence to make sure that you are able to find the practice of meditation that works for you.

For instance, some forms of meditation include simply focusing on your breathing, while others require you to feel into your body and make note of sensations as they come and go.

This is an incredible exercise for your brain that you can carry out each and every day. It will also help you to promote a sense of calm and allow you to get the most out of your recovery as a whole.

Further, meditation can also help to build faith and inspiration, which will be necessary on your road to recovery.

Do Some Jaw Exercises Regularly

Jaw, tongue and lip exercises are incredibly important for your recovery.

When you rebuild this muscle memory and motor skill, you will be in a great position to communicate. This is necessary since many people even have trouble chewing and eating after dealing with an injury.

The sooner you are able to get these skills back on track, the sooner you will gain your full autonomy. There are lots of exercises that your speech therapist or physical therapist can help you with, so make sure that you acquire the tools and practice these exercises on a daily basis.

Add Yoga to Your Life

Practising yoga after a brain injury will not only help you physically, it will also help your brain.

People that use yoga in their recovery build their body and their brain at the same time since the practice builds new connections and promotes balance. You will be better able to get back on your feet and also sharpen your thinking skills.

You can take advantage of some yoga therapy that is specifically catered to recovering from a brain injury to make sure that you are on the path for a full recovery.

Continuously Challenge Your Brain

The best thing you can do after a brain injury is exercise your brain day in and day out.

When you give yourself daily brain challenges, it’ll sharpen your mind and build your reflexes and cognitive thinking. This is why so many people incorporate chess into their recovery while they are going through rehab.

Practising chess every day will help you with neurorehabilitation and will let you bridge the gap in your thinking process. This is a life skill that will carry you far since games like chess are also great for long-term cognitive thought.

Build Your Body to Full Health

Simply put, when you work your body, it is great for your mind.

If your body isn’t healthy, it’ll be difficult for your brain to fire on all cylinders. Get a physical therapist that will work you out, while protecting your safety and making sure that you are constantly pushing yourself.

Exercise is great for the brain because it produces endorphins and can help you think more clearly as a whole.

Fix Your Nutrition as You Heal

Taking the time to get your nutrition under control will help with your recovery.

Eat healthy brain foods, like green vegetables and mushrooms, so that you can think clearly and avoid brain fog. You should also drink lots of water since a dehydrated brain isn’t a functioning brain.

Make sure that you are also avoiding sugary foods, processed food, and high fructose corn syrup. It adversely affects your brain health and will also dampen your recovery efforts.

Bounce Back From Your Traumatic Brain Injury

So there you have it. If you suffer a traumatic brain injury, all is definitely not lost.

You simply need a recovery plan that works, and you can start by using the tips above. We’d love to help.

To learn more about our speech therapy services and how they can help with your traumatic brain injury recovery, reach out to us today.

Any child can read a book, but it takes good comprehension skills to be able to absorb and retain the information. If your child has this skill, it will carry them through their entire school career, from preschool to college. It also means they are less likely to get bored with reading.

Sometimes children struggle with this a little bit and it’s up to parents and teachers to work as a team to get them on the right track. Here are 6 tips on how to improve reading comprehension and ensure that your child won’t just be reading books, but thoroughly enjoying them and increasing their vocabulary.

1. Point Out Connections

Many parents elect to read out loud with their children. This opens up great learning opportunities. One of those opportunities is to make connections.

For example, if you’re reading a book with your child about a beach, and you and the family have been to the beach on vacation, you can bring that up. The child will be able to make a connection about the reading and identify with it a bit more.

You can talk a little bit about the memories you had there, or what the beach looked like. This will make the child more focused on the reading and helps with improving reading comprehension.

2. Stop and Ask Questions Often

When you’re reading out loud with your children, you can stop and ask questions. This will encourage the children to backtrack and reread to search for answers. It will also leave them wondering about the content they just read.

Allow them to ask you questions and discuss possible answers, as this helps with improving reading comprehension.

If your children are reading a book by themselves, you can still be involved and ask them a question. When you notice your children reading a new book, you should ask them questions about it. This will make them really think about what they’ve read so far so they can give you satisfying answers.

The questions should cause them to think. For example, asking them what they enjoy about a book will make them think of common themes in the story.

Ask them what’s going on in the book because then they will have to think of parts that they read recently and revisit them to tell you. When they’ve finished the book, ask them if it ended the way they thought it would, or to summarize it.

3. Make Inferences

To make inferences is to guess how you think the story will go based on the clues it’s given you so far. For example, if character A is blushing while talking to character B, we can infer that A has feelings for B. You may guess that they will get together before the end of the story.

Don’t be afraid to make these inferences out loud so your child can make their own. Respond to their inferences as they would yours. This stimulates conversation and will help the child pay closer attention to the plot and characters.

4. Have the Child Read Out Loud

When a child reads out loud they read a bit slower which allows them to really take in the information that they are reading. Also, many people learn easier when they aren’t only seeing information but listening to it as well.

Even as adults we tend to catch things that we wouldn’t when hearing it aloud. This same idea works for a child. Listen to the child read, and help out when you can.

By doing the things we’ve listed so far while reading out loud, you will stimulate learning and change the way the child reads. They may even find a lot more enjoyment from it.

5. Find the Right Reading Material

It’s important that your child is reading books that are on their reading level. If they stumble on words that are too big for them, they may become frustrated, and the reading won’t be enjoyable. Not only will the reading not be enjoyable, but the frequent stops they will have to make will prevent them from absorbing the information.

On the flipside of this, if the reading is too easy for the child, they will become bored because they aren’t being given a proper challenge.

6. Talk to Their Teacher

Some children struggle with reading comprehension more than others. If you notice your child isn’t grasping it, don’t be afraid to schedule a meeting with their teacher. Together, you might be able to come up with a plan to help them.

This doesn’t end with reading comprehension.

If you notice that your child really enjoys reading, but isn’t doing as well in other subjects, you can meet with the teacher to find out what they are currently studying.

For example, if your child is failing in science, you can ask the teacher what subject they are covering in their science class at the moment. Get a book that revolves around this subject but is interesting to read. The child might be able to understand the information better this way.

Steps on How to Improve Reading Comprehension

Taking these steps on how to improve reading comprehension will help open new doors for your child. They will be able to take this skill and soar to new heights throughout their entire educational career. All it takes is reading with them.

Are you ready for your child to start back school? Visit our blog for great tips for back to school success.

“There is no such thing as a child who hates to read; there are only children who have not found the right book. “

—Frank Serafini, author

 

Kids generally learn to read until third grade. After third grade, they read to learn.

Reading is the basis of learning and the benefits are many. On a practical level, reading helps us navigate life. Following recipes, taking medications and obeying written traffic signs all require the ability to literally read and understand what we are seeing. On a more cerebral level, reading advances our mind, teaches us language skills, expands our vocabulary, builds our listening skills and develops our imagination and creativity.

Now just imagine a child who is experiencing difficulty reading.

Research has proven that struggling with reading is not a sign of a lack of intelligence. Nor should children who they be labeled as lazy or unmotivated. Often, they have just fallen through the cracks. Sometimes it is simply a matter of finding the right approach.

 

“Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.”

—Frederick Douglass, escaped slave, activist and abolitionist leader

 

Literacy extends to all academic areas, including math, where understanding the word problems are as essential as computing the correct numerical answer.

Difficulty reading not only affects academic abilities but also self-esteem. When reading skills are deficient, grades may suffer despite average or above average intelligence and self-confidence can go right down the tubes.

Our Reading Skills Mastery Program

has been developed to address grade-specific reading (literacy) skills and strategies. Our therapists are trained to assess each student and identify the issues before implementing a monthly individualized program tailored to the age of the child, the amount of intervention required, and the goals set in the initial session. Each session is 45 minutes with a minimum of three sessions per week.

 

From helping children acquire and master basic reading and writing skills to teaching compensatory strategies, decoding skills, essay writing and note taking, the Great Speech Reading Skills Mastery Program focuses on identifying missing skill sets and creating a targeted program using the check list below.

Literacy Skills:

• Recognition and understanding of letters and letter sounds
• Reading comprehension
• Reading accuracy and fluency Recognition and use of letters and letters sounds
• Learning and application of phonics rules
• Automatic recognition and reading of sight words
• Word attack skills (how to read an unfamiliar word)
• Word study (root, suffix, etc.)
• Reading speed and accuracy

Writing Skills:

• Handwriting or typing of letters
• Learning and applying spelling rules and patterns
• Learning different writing styles and purposes (e.g., persuasive, descriptive, etc.)
• Using various aids when writing (e.g., graphic organizers)
• Learning and applying planning/organization strategies (e.g., outline, brainstorm, timelines, etc.)

Vocabulary Skills:

• Definitions
• Word Relationships (compound words, antonyms, synonyms)
• Contextual Word Lists
• Derivational Word Lists
• Semantic Mapping and Feature Analysis

 

“To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.”

 – Victor Hugo, French poet and novelist

Lighting the fire and keeping the spark alive is one of our areas of expertise. Word power is brain power and has been linked to improved health, socioeconomic status and creativity.  We are proud of the success of those who have enrolled in our Reading Skills Mastery Program and would love to provide services to those who are experiencing academic difficulties due to poor or limited reading skills.

Request a complimentary screening today and ask how we can help!