Federal education officials have alerted schools not to be careless about giving speech and language therapy to children suffering from autism spectrum disorder.

Autistic children may not be getting the much needed speech and language therapy given by speech-language pathologists at schools, said Department of Education in a letter to states. The department also noted that such professionals are not made to take part in the discussions and meetings to determine what kind of service should the child receive for betterment in accordance with Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

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"Some IDEA programs may be including applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapists exclusively without including, or considering input from, speech-language pathologists and other professionals who provide different types of specific therapies that may be appropriate for children with ASD when identifying IDEA services for children with ASD," wrote Melody Musgrove, director of the Education Department's Office of Special Education Programs, in the guidance sent this month, according to Disability Scoop.

Musgrove said that her agency is much worried of this issue which would have an impact on children in special education programs that include infants, toddlers and K-12 schools. She noted that ABA therapy used in autistic students is one of the methods used in addressing the needs of the children. She added that she would like to remind the states and local programs to make sure that the decisions regarding services provided are made according to the unique needs of the children with the ailment.

Schools should evaluate the affected children to understand their needs as per IDEA program. As far as the young children are concerned the law necessitates the presence of the person that conducted the evaluation in the team, which determines the services provided to the child. For the children of school age the individualized education program, or IEP team should include a professional who is capable of interpreting the instructional implications of evaluation results, said the Education Department guidance.

Judith Page, president of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, noted in a response letter, "We very much appreciate this guidance and believe that it will serve to ensure that children receive the appropriate treatment they deserve based on their individual needs." 

TagsSpeech Therapy, language therapy, Autism, IDEA, speech-language pathologists