Language development and autistic children

All children start developing language from birth.

Children learn language through exploring the world and repeatedly hearing language about what they’re seeing or doing.

Children also learn language through social interactions, like social routines, back-and-forth chat and play. For example, you might routinely say ‘bye-bye’ and wave to your child when you walk out of a room. Your child will link ‘bye-bye’ with seeing you leave and might start waving or saying ‘bye-bye’ themselves when they see someone leaving.

Autistic children might interact with people and experience their social interactions in particular ways. Sometimes this means that autistic children pay less attention to language than their peers do, so they need extra language learning opportunities and support to learn language skills.

The best way to encourage language development is to talk with your child about things that interest them. This builds your child’s language and your relationship at the same time. Our article on language development explains how this works and has tips that you can adapt to your child’s level of development and communication style.

Creating opportunities for autistic children to use language

To develop language, all young children need regular, meaningful and motivating opportunities to use and practise language and language skills.

You can create meaningful and motivating opportunities for your autistic child to use language as part of everyday play and activities together.

Here are ideas:

  • Use language games and songs as part of everyday routines, like bathtime, mealtimes and bedtime.
  • Take turns opening lift-the-flap and pop-up books and talking about or showing each other what you find. Pause long enough for your child to say what they’re thinking or feeling.
  • Gradually make activities harder as your child learns. For example, start by saying ‘ball’, then add an action word, like ‘Push the ball’ or ‘Stop the ball’.
  • Work on specific skills. For example, your child could learn to use describing words like ‘big’ and ‘little’ by pointing out big and little things in books or around your home.
  • Practise skills away from home. For example, you could do a treasure hunt at the park, looking for things that are big and little.

Children learn through play, and this includes learning language. By playing games with your autistic child and making play part of your everyday activities, you can create opportunities for your child to develop their language. For example, if you’re doing a jigsaw with your child, you can encourage them to ask for the piece they need or take turns describing the pieces.

Modelling language use for autistic children

You can show your autistic child how to respond to or ask for something by modelling language use. This involves speaking and using facial expressions and gestures when you’re with your child. It also means giving your child examples of how to use language at a level that’s right for them.

Here are ideas:

  • Comment on what you’re doing, like saying ‘open’ as you open the car door.
  • Comment on what your child is doing, like saying ‘stuck’ as your child tries to open a zipper on a bag.
  • Model the words that you think your child needs if they’re trying to say something. For example, say, ‘help’ as your child holds up a packet of food that they can’t open.

When you’re modelling language, it’s best to use phrases that contain 1-2 more words than your child is currently using in their own speech. This shows your child how to build bigger sentences.

For example:

  • If your child isn’t yet talking, use single words or phrases with only 2 words, like ‘ball’, ‘jump’, or ‘my house’.
  • If your child is speaking in sentences of 2-3 words, repeat what they say but add 1-2 more words. So if your child says, ‘Give spoon’, you could say, ‘Give me the spoon’.

Autistic children communicate in various ways. For example, they might use gestures, Key Word Sign, PECS or other types of augmentative communication. You can build on your child’s communication preferences to help them develop language, if this is right for them. For example, if your child is pulling your hand towards an object they want, you can add language and model how your child could ask for the object.

When to get help for autistic children’s language development

If you’re worried about your autistic child’s language development, it’s a good idea to see your child and family health nurse, GP or paediatrician. They might refer you to a speech pathologist. You can also use Speech Pathology Australia – Find a speech pathologist.

You can encourage your autistic child to keep using language by responding positively when they do. Positive responses include giving your child the next piece of the puzzle when they make a request. Or you can smile and comment to let your child know you’re interested when they show you a toy.

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