Communicating With Confidence After Autism Diagnosis

When Tyler Toth was around 18 months old, his parents, Joy and Cody, noticed he wasn’t meeting developmental milestones. After sharing their concerns with Tyler’s pediatrician, Lina Cambria, M.D., Tyler began receiving speech and occupational therapy through early intervention until he aged out at age 3.

But when Tyler was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at age 4, he was still struggling with speech and communication — and Joy knew he needed extra support so he could learn to better express himself. 

“When he was 4, he was barely speaking,” says Joy. “He was getting speech and occupational therapy in school, but COVID delayed his therapies.”

Connecting with the Care He Needed

Determined to connect Tyler with the care he needed, Joy spoke again with Dr. Cambria, who referred Tyler to the Pediatric Outpatient Therapy program at Bayshore Medical Center — one of the only pediatric rehabilitation programs in the area. 

“When I met Tyler, he was five years old,” says Bayshore Medical Center speech-language pathologist Emily Cadigan, MS, CCC-SLP. “He was very difficult to understand, could only speak in short syllables, and wasn’t able to make a lot of the sounds we use to form words.”

At the time, Tyler was also experiencing a lot of frustration because others were unable to understand his opinions, wants and needs.

Over the next two years, Emily worked with Tyler — twice a week at first, and eventually, once a week — to increase his ability to communicate. She helped him learn to make each sound and understand the rules and patterns required for speech. 

“I use highly structured play to make our sessions fun for Tyler, but it’s also important to be flexible based on his preferences,” says Emily. “We find activities or games he enjoys and incorporate them to help accomplish our goals. He was really into SpongeBob for a while, but now it’s all about Mario Party.”

As part of his outpatient care plan, Tyler also worked with a physical therapist to relieve tightness in his leg muscles caused by toe-walking and received help with writing, dressing, emotional regulation and other everyday tasks from an occupational therapist. Emily also helped Tyler learn to enjoy a more varied diet by introducing new foods through food chaining.

Improving Communication Confidence

Joy and Cody have noticed a big difference in Tyler, who is now seven years old.

“He’s doing great, and he enjoys going to his therapy sessions,” says Joy. “Now, he can hold a conversation. He has also started ninja gymnastics and loves playing Nintendo Switch.”

“We’ve really built up Tyler’s language skills to the point where he can say full sentences, have conversations and understand others,” said Emily. “He can ask for things, tell others what he wants, and comment on things, which has really improved his confidence when interacting with others.”

Joy says that although the therapy appointments can be time-consuming, seeing Tyler thrive makes it all worthwhile.

“I want to encourage other parents of children diagnosed with ASD not to hold back if they are considering speech, physical or occupational therapy,” says Joy. “Make the call, because it makes a huge difference, and it is worth it.”

Next Steps & Resources:

•  Meet our sources: Lina Cambria, M.D., Emily Cadigan, MS, CCC-SLP
• To make an appointment with a pediatrician near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website. 

The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.