Recent studies demonstrate the important role parents play in speech therapy for children with autism. Learn how parents of children diagnosed with autism can support the work of speech therapists to aid in their child's language development, and how to compliment formal therapy sessions outside a therapist's office.
Resources for ChildrenResources for ParentsSpeech Therapy
Apr 13, 2020-11 MIN READ
SpeechPathologyMastersPrograms.com is owned by 2U, LLC, parent company of edX. Our goal is to help learners make confident, informed decisions about their education and career. Some programs shown here are offered by universities that partner with 2U, for which 2U provides marketing and operational support and receives compensation. Other programs shown may be paid advertisements from third parties. Both types of programs are identified with the word AD or Advertisement. We aim to keep information current and accurate. Learn more about edX and our partners.
A note on language: Families and professionals do not all use the same terminology when discussing autism. Some people prefer person-first language, such as “child with autism,” while others prefer identity-first language, such as “autistic child.” ASHA recognizes both, and SLPs are encouraged to follow the preferences of the individual and family. This article uses “children with autism” and “people with autism” for consistency, while recognizing that many autistic people prefer identity-first language for themselves.
Children with autism do not build communication skills only in therapy sessions. Communication develops across the whole day: during play, meals, dressing, shared reading, school routines, and community activities. That is why home support usually works best when it feels like part of daily life, not another worksheet or “extra lesson.”
Speech therapy sessions give children focused support, but families help those skills show up in daily life. A child may practice a communication strategy with an SLP once or twice a week, then need many low-pressure chances to use that same skill during meals, play, school routines, car rides, or bedtime. Research suggests that family involvement and parent participation help children reinforce therapy skills in real-life settings and give therapists a clearer picture of what is working at home.
For parents, that does not mean turning every interaction into a lesson. It means knowing the goal, using the strategy in ordinary moments, and telling the SLP what feels easy, frustrating, or useful outside the therapy room. SLPs can help families choose communication strategies that fit their child’s strengths, needs, sensory preferences, culture, and everyday routines. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) and its Autism Practice Portal describe autism support as individualized and family-centered, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes that autism interventions may take place across home, school, health, and other settings.
So, how can you support your child’s progress in speech therapy at home? A good place to start is with one routine your child already enjoys. That might be bubbles, playing with a favorite toy, snack time, bath time, or reading a book. Follow your child’s lead first. Notice what they are interested in, join the activity, and respond to what they do. Then model one small next step: a gesture, a sound, a word, a picture symbol, or a short phrase.
That is the heart of speech therapy support at home: small, repeatable communication opportunities that are guided by an SLP and grounded in real life.
How Home Routines Support Communication
Children communicate all day, often in small ways that adults may not notice at first. A child might reach for a snack, pull a parent toward a toy, repeat a favorite phrase, turn away when something feels overwhelming, or use a picture or device to ask for help. For children with autism, speech may be only one part of communication. Some children use words often. Others rely more on gestures, sounds, or familiar routines. An SLP can help families notice what a child is already communicating and build from there.
Everyday routines give children repeated chances to practice communication with people they already know. During snack time, a parent might offer a choice between two foods. During play, a caregiver might pause before blowing more bubbles. During reading, an adult might point to a picture, wait, and respond to the child’s look, sound, word, or gesture.
The WHO Caregiver Skills Training program was developed for families of children with developmental delays or disabilities, including autism, and emphasizes caregiver support in everyday interactions. Autism Speaks’ CST materials, developed from the WHO model, also describe using daily routines and play to support communication and development.
What Parents and Caregivers Can Practice With an SLP’s Guidance
Parents do not need a long list of activities to help their child communicate. A few well-chosen strategies, practiced consistently, are often more realistic.
Common strategies an SLP may coach families to use include:
Follow the child’s lead: Join what the child is already doing instead of redirecting immediately.
Pause and wait: Give the child time to gesture, look, reach, vocalize, use AAC, or speak.
Offer choices: Hold up two snacks, toys, or books and wait for the child to communicate a preference.
Model language: Say or show a simple next step, such as “more,” “go,” “help,” “stop,” “my turn,” or “open.”
Expand communication: If the child says “car,” an adult might respond, “red car,” “car go,” or “fast car,” depending on the child’s goal.
Use visual supports or AAC: Pair speech with pictures, signs, a communication board, or a speech-generating device when appropriate.
Practice repair: Help the child learn what to do when communication breaks down, such as pointing, repeating, showing, or asking for help.
The right strategy depends on the child. ASHA notes that autism intervention should consider communication needs, social and language development, learning style, family resources, and personal preferences.
AAC, Gestures, Pictures, and Speech-Generating Devices
AAC stands for augmentative and alternative communication. It includes many tools and strategies that help someone communicate when speech alone does not meet their needs. AAC can include gestures, signs, picture cards, communication boards, typing, tablets, and speech-generating devices.
AAC is not only for children who never speak. It may help a child who sometimes speaks but cannot reliably express needs, pain, choices, frustration, questions, or ideas across settings. It may also support children who use spoken language but need help with transitions, school participation, medical visits, or emotional regulation.
ASHA describes AAC as a clinical area that can supplement or compensate for speech-language production or comprehension. Families sometimes worry that AAC will stop a child from talking. That concern is understandable, but it should not prevent a referral or conversation with an SLP. AAC gives children another way to communicate; for some children, it may reduce frustration and increase opportunities to participate.
At home, AAC support might mean:
keeping the communication system available, not tucked away;
modeling AAC use without forcing the child to copy immediately;
honoring communication through AAC the same way adults honor speech;
using AAC during real routines, such as snack, play, homework, and bedtime;
making sure school, home, and other caregivers use consistent supports when possible.
Families should ask an SLP whether an AAC assessment is appropriate if a child has trouble expressing wants, needs, thoughts, feelings, or choices.
Communication Ideas for Infants and Toddlers
For infants and toddlers, speech therapy support often focuses on the foundations of communication rather than perfecting spoken words. These foundations may include shared attention, engagement with another person, imitation, gestures, play, early sounds, turn-taking, and meaningful interaction.
A parent might sit on the floor, copy the child’s play action, and wait. If the child rolls a car, the parent might roll another car and say, “go.” If the child reaches for more bubbles, the parent might pause, hold up the wand, and model “more,” a sign, a picture, or an AAC button. The goal is not to quiz the child. The goal is to make communication useful.
Naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions, often called NDBIs, are one evidence-informed way professionals may support young children with autism in play and daily routines. A 2024 systematic review of parent-mediated naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions found that these approaches often focus on skills such as engagement, joint attention, language and communication, imitation, and participation in everyday interactions.
Parents can ask the child’s SLP or early intervention team which strategies fit the child’s goals and how those strategies should look at home.
Communication Ideas for Preschoolers
Preschool-age children may be working on play, peer interaction, requesting, commenting, protesting, answering questions, pretend play, early conversation, AAC use or classroom routines. For many families, this is the stage when communication goals start to show up everywhere: daycare, preschool, playgrounds, family gatherings, and outings.
Home practice can be simple:
pause during a favorite song so the child can fill in a gesture, sound, word, or AAC message;
use a visual choice board for snacks or play;
model short phrases during pretend play;
practice “my turn” and “your turn” with a preferred toy;
use pictures or AAC to support transitions;
help the child communicate “stop,” “help,” “all done,” or “break.”
The National Autistic Society’s guide to autism and communication is a useful reminder that autistic people may have different communication styles and preferences, and that communication differences vary widely.
Communication Ideas for School-Age Children
For school-age children, speech therapy often connects closely to classroom participation, friendship, emotional language, literacy, and self-advocacy. Some children may need help understanding directions, retelling information, using AAC in class, asking for clarification, or joining group work. Others may work on reading comprehension, written language, figurative language, problem-solving, conversation repair, or communicating during moments of frustration.
At home, families can support these goals in everyday ways:
Asking for help: Practice phrases, gestures, cards, or AAC messages the child can use when something is confusing.
Retelling information: Talk about what happened in a book, show, game, or school day using visuals if needed.
Conversation repair: Practice what to do when someone does not understand: repeat, point, show, type, use AAC, or ask for a break.
Emotional communication: Build a shared vocabulary for feelings, body signals, sensory needs, and coping strategies.
Self-advocacy: Practice communicating “I need help,” “I need more time,” “That is too loud,” or “I need a break.”
Classroom participation: Ask the SLP and school team how home practice can support IEP goals or classroom accommodations.
SLPs may work with families, teachers, and other professionals so that communication goals support the child’s access to the curriculum. NICE guidance on support and management for children and young people with autism under 19 also emphasizes coordinated support for children, young people, families, and caregivers.
Some people with autism find eye contact uncomfortable, distracting, or unnecessary for listening. A more respectful goal is helping the child communicate, understand others, and advocate for what they need, while also helping communication partners respond in more supportive ways.
Communication Ideas for Teens and Young Adults
Teens and young adults with autism may still benefit from speech language support, even if they no longer need the same kinds of early-childhood goals. Communication demands change with age. School transitions, work, relationships, healthcare, transportation, college planning, and independent living can all require new communication skills.
An SLP may help a teen or young adult work on:
preparing for job interviews;
asking for accommodations at school or work;
explaining communication preferences;
using AAC in public, college, work, or healthcare settings;
writing emails to teachers, supervisors, or disability services staff;
problem-solving misunderstandings;
communicating about health, safety, consent, and boundaries;
planning for transitions from pediatric to adult services.
ASHA’s public resource on autism notes that SLPs may support autistic people with workplace communication, self-advocacy, accommodations, and assistive technology, including AAC. Autism Speaks also offers a practical AAC guide for autistic teens and adults, which may be useful for families thinking beyond early childhood.
Transition planning should not wait until the last year of high school. Families can ask the school team, SLP, and healthcare providers how communication goals should support future education, employment, daily living, and community participation.
When to Ask for an Autism or Speech-Language Evaluation
Parents do not need to wait until they are certain something is wrong. If you have concerns about communication, play, social interaction, feeding, sensory needs, or developmental milestones, talk with your child’s pediatrician and ask whether a speech-language evaluation, developmental evaluation, or early intervention referral is appropriate.
CDC guidance on clinical screening for autism states that the AAP recommends developmental screening at 9, 18, and 30 months, and autism-specific screening at 18 and 24 months. CDC’s public autism information also notes that autism can sometimes be detected at 18 months or younger, and that by age 2, a diagnosis by an experienced professional can be considered reliable.
Families may want to ask about an evaluation if a child:
is not using gestures, sounds, words, signs, or AAC to communicate needs;
loses communication skills they previously used;
has difficulty responding to their name or sharing attention;
rarely points, shows, gives, or brings objects to share interest;
has trouble understanding or using language in daily routines;
becomes very frustrated when trying to communicate;
has feeding, swallowing, or mealtime concerns;
uses speech but struggles to communicate at school, with peers, or in the community.
A diagnosis is not always required before a child receives support for developmental delays. The AAP’s autism resources state that children should be referred for intervention when developmental delays are identified and should not have to wait for a full autism diagnostic evaluation before support begins.
Parents should leave an SLP session knowing which routine to practice in, what to model, how long to wait, how to respond, and when to stop.
Helpful questions include:
What is the most important communication goal for the home right now?
Which routine should we practice first?
What should I model: a gesture, word, phrase, sign, picture, or AAC message?
How long should I wait before helping?
What should I do if my child gets frustrated?
How should we use AAC at home?
What should I share with teachers, relatives, or babysitters?
How will we know if this strategy is helping?
Parents can also ask how the SLP measures progress. Progress may not always look like more spoken words. It may look like fewer communication breakdowns, more independent requesting, better participation during meals, more consistent AAC use, more successful transitions, or clearer ways to say “no,” “help,” “break,” or “I don’t understand.”
How to Work With Schools and Other Caregivers
Children with autism often communicate differently across settings. A child may use more language at home than at school, or may use AAC with one adult but not another. That does not mean the child is being inconsistent on purpose. It may mean the supports, expectations, environment, or communication partners are different.
Families can help by asking the SLP and school team to coordinate. That may include:
sharing AAC systems across home and school;
using similar visual supports in both places;
aligning home practice with IEP communication goals;
teaching communication partners how to wait, model, and respond;
planning for lunch, recess, bus, specials, and other less-structured parts of the day;
making sure the child has ways to communicate discomfort, confusion, sensory needs, or a need for help.
For families who want more context on assessment, our guide to common speech language pathology assessment tools may help explain how SLPs gather information about communication strengths and needs.
Bottom Line
Speech therapy at home works best when it is guided by an SLP, built into real routines, and responsive to the child’s current communication. Some children may need support with speech sounds or spoken language. Others may need AAC, visual supports, feeding help, social communication support, school participation strategies, or transition planning.
Parents and caregivers do not have to become therapists. They can become strong communication partners: noticing what works, practicing small strategies, sharing what they see, and helping the child use communication in the places that matter most.
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not medical advice and does not replace individualized guidance from a licensed speech language pathologist, physician, psychologist, developmental specialist, or other qualified professional. Families should consult their child’s care team before starting, changing, or stopping therapy strategies.
