Answer: 

Nurturing communication skills has the potential to help a child with mild autism

Speech and Drama lessons nurture communication skills and have the potential to help a child with mild autism who has some presence of language with understanding improve in this area. Social behaviours such as eye-contact, listening to stories and developing attention span may improve over time.

A Speech and Drama class provides a rich-language environment where connections are constantly made. Language modelled by teachers and interaction with peers in the class, and a purposefully-designed curriculum that encourages creativity, collaboration, social awareness and communication skills can help shape a child’s growing confidence in managing themselves within the larger society.

In a Speech and Drama class, sharing sessions, discussions and journeys into drama that lead to idea-creation and problem-solving will generally encourage social interaction and improve social expression in most children, and this can potentially benefit a child with mild autism.

However the environment in a Speech and Drama class will not be suitable for all children who are on the autistic spectrum. If your child has been diagnosed with autism, it is important to speak your doctor or therapist first for advice on whether a Speech and Drama programme will be suitable for your child.

The Expert:

Sumathi Jayaram

Principal of Julia Gabriel Centre

Julia Gabriel Centre