Philadelphia: A recent US scientific study has confirmed that maintaining long-term speech and language therapy sessions significantly helps most children with autism pronounce their first words and develop their language skills.

According to Qatar News Agency, the study, conducted by researchers from Drexel University in Philadelphia, United States, found that continued therapy yields better results than intermittent treatment, particularly among children who suffer from delayed speech and difficulties in social interaction.

Scientists conducted a study on a group of approximately 707 preschool children, aged between 15 months and five years, who received speech therapy programs for periods ranging from six months to two years, averaging 10 hours per week. These programs employed a variety of approaches, including the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), which focuses on play and building positive relationships, and the TEACCH Autism Program, which uses visual charts and spatial organization to enhance communi
cation skills.

The results showed that non-verbal children demonstrated improvement in their ability to use single words and basic communication, while children with limited language skills made greater progress in sentence formation and verbal interaction.

For his part, Dr. Giacomo Vivanti, the study’s lead author and Leader of the Early Detection and Intervention research program at the AJ Drexel Autism Institute, said that the findings underscore the importance of sustained therapeutic interventions. He stressed the need to tailor programs to each child’s individual needs, adding that some children continue to experience delays in language development despite receiving evidence-based treatment, which necessitates close monitoring and ongoing adjustments to therapeutic plans.

Experts hope that the new scientific study will pave the way for broader research to better understand the mechanisms of language development in children with autism, and that these results will contribute to the development of more
effective intervention programs, enabling as many children as possible to acquire communication skills and social integration.