What Does It Mean if a Child Doesn ’ t Respond to Their Name?

Speech-language pathologists working in early intervention often consider a young child’s lack of response to their name as a potential sign of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It can also be an indicator of issues with receptive language skills. Sometimes, the parent reports their child does respond to their name, but you notice otherwise. So we need to dig beyond just asking the parent whether they feel like their child responds to their name. Here’s the thing—kids might respond at some times, but not at others. One of the challenges experienced by young kids, especially those with ASD, is generalization of skills. Performing a skill—like responding to their name—in a session is different from doing the same in various locations and with a variety of people. So what should SLPs consider when looking for response to name in early-intervention clients and how do we explain this to parents? SLPs need to determine if the child needs assistance with this skill or not, as well as if it is a sign of ASD. These insights work for me when evaluating a young child’s response to name: Even during sessions, a child might focus so much on a particular type of activity or favorite toy that they tune out their name. A child who likes organizing, stacking or lining up objects, for example, might not respond to their name while in the process of this type of play. A child might ignore their name or parent’s verbal cues during active play. Some kids don’t respond to their name ...
Source: American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) Press Releases - Category: Speech-Language Pathology Authors: Tags: Private Practice Schools Slider Speech-Language Pathology autism Autism Spectrum Disorder Early Intervention Source Type: blogs