“Neurodevelopmental disorder” is an umbrella term encompassing a large group of disabilities with unique causes and characteristics.

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders demonstrate differences in neurological development. These differences may lead to challenges with development of speech, language, and communication skills.

At Forte Speech & Language Therapy, we provide neurodiversity affirming therapy and empower neurodivergent people by recognizing and building upon their strengths.

As a result, we foster an environment of acceptance and validation for our neurodivergent clients.

At Forte Speech & Language, our Los Angeles speech therapists take a neurodiversity affirming approach.

That’s why one of our areas of clinical focus is speech therapy for neurodiverse populations.

If you or your child is neurodivergent, you may demonstrate some communication needs. We can help.

What Is a Neurodevelopmental Disorder?

The first few years of your child’s life are incredibly important for brain growth and development.

During this time, children learn a variety of skills, including communication, that they utilize in their future schooling, social, and work environments.

This is also when the first signs of neurodevelopmental disorders typically emerge.

Neurodivergent children have a number of differences in the way their brains work. This can include:

Language
Emotions
Regulation
Impulse control
Learning
Memory

Common forms of neurodiversity include:

ADHD
Autism spectrum disorder
Executive function deficits
Certain developmental disorders , like dyslexia and other learning disabilities
Certain neurological disorders , like cerebral palsy
Vision and hearing impairments

Neurodivergent people can lead rich, healthy, independent lives. But they may also face some unique challenges. In particular, neurodivergent people can often face challenges in developing their speech and language skills.

Speech therapy can help.

At Forte Speech & Language Therapy, we offer pediatric speech-language pathology services for neurodivergent kids.

However, if you’re an adult who’s recently discovered you’re neurodivergent, an adult SLP can help you with any communication concerns you have as well.

Speech Therapy for ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a form of neurodiversity.

While ADHD’s exact cause remains unclear, genetics can play a significant role.

Broadly speaking, there are three different types of ADHD, each with their own unique characteristics.

These categories are: inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and combined.

Inattentive ADHD

Characteristics of inattentive ADHD include:

Difficulty concentrating
Racing thoughts
Difficulty planning, organizing, and finishing tasks
Difficulty learning new skills

Hyperactive/Impulsive ADHD

Characteristics of hyperactive/impulsive ADHD include:

Restlessness
Difficulty sitting in one position for extended periods
Starting a new activity before finishing others
Interrupting others while speaking
Impulsive behavior
Impatience

Combined ADHD

Combined ADHD, like the name suggests, is a mix of the above two types of ADHD. This is the most common type of ADHD. If your child has ADHD, they may face challenges with the development of their speech, language, and communication skills.

In particular, they may have difficulty with:

Learning to read and write
Developing their ability to articulate certain speech sounds
Executive function skills
Social interactions

At Forte Speech & Language Therapy, we can help.

We can:

Evaluate your child’s communication skills in both school and home settings
Strengthen your child’s speech and language development
Practice social communication development, such as self-advocacy and problem solving
Practice planning and organizational skills
Work with your child’s pediatrician and other healthcare professionals, such as psychologists or occupational therapists

If your child has ADHD, or you suspect they do, speech therapy can help.

Speech Therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism is another neurodevelopmental disorder.

Autistic people experience autism in different ways. This is why it’s considered a spectrum disorder.

Like other types of neurodivergence, the brains of autistic children develop in different ways.

If you’re the parent of an autistic child, you may notice these differences as early as infancy.

If your child is autistic, you may notice that they:

Use few or no gestures, such as pointing
Avoid or do not maintain eye contact
Do not share interests with others
Do not respond to their name
Demonstrate difficulty communicating their wants and needs

For older autistic children and adults, there are two main categories of characteristics: restricted or repetitive behaviors and interests, and social and communication differences.

Restricted or Repetitive Behaviors

Repetitive behaviors may include:

Repetitive speech patterns, such as repeating certain words and phrases
Repetitive movements, such as hand flapping
Preferred routines, such as taking the same route to school every day
Ritualistic interests and reluctance to try new things

Social and Communication Differences

Social and communication differences may include:

Difficulty interpreting the communication of others
Strong desire to share an extensive amount of information about their interests with others
Difficulty with problem solving
Difficulty understanding and expressing emotions
Difficulty advocating for their needs
Difficulty making new friends and maintaining existing friendships

From a speech and language development perspective, autistic children may show a variety of communication differences.

These may include:

Nonspeaking or limited speaking
Difficulty forming spoken words
Repeating or imitating words and phrases (echolalia)
Speaking in a monotone voice
Difficulty initiating conversations

At Forte Speech & Language, our team of speech therapists have experience working with autistic children and adults of all ages. We can help in several ways, such as:

Teaching and practicing emotional regulation skills
Teaching multi-modal communication strategies, such as gestures, body language, and picture supports
Teaching perspective-taking
Practicing self-advocacy
Fostering connection and building meaningful friendships
Recommending robust AAC systems , such as tablet devices with communication applications

If your child is autistic, it may feel overwhelming at first. We’re here to help.

Speech Therapy for Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is another form of neurodivergence. It’s a genetic condition present at birth.

In typical fetal development, the developing baby inherits 46 pairs of chromosomes – 23 from each parent.

Babies with Down syndrome have an extra copy of their 21st chromosome. The extra copy changes how the baby’s body and brain develop.

People with Down syndrome commonly demonstrate needs with developing their speech and language skills.

This can include:

Motor speech disorders stemming from low facial muscle tone
Hearing and speaking challenges due to chronic ear infections
Difficulty making certain sounds due to a larger tongue
Cognitive impairments, such as learning, speech, and language milestone delays

A speech therapist at Forte Speech & Language can help children with Down syndrome strengthen their communication skills.

Some of our methods include:

Addressing intelligibility
Targeting feeding and swallowing impairments
Teaching multi-modal communication strategies, such as sign language, picture supports, and high-tech AAC devices

If your child has Down syndrome, we are here to support you and your child in their communication development. We’re Forte Speech & Language Therapy, and we can help.

Speech Therapy for Gestalt Language Processing

Children develop their language skills in one of two ways: analytic and gestalt language processing.

In analytic language processing, children first process basic units of language as single words before combining them into phrases and sentences.

This is how the majority of children learn language.

In contrast, in gestalt language processing, children process their basic units as strings of language or phrases before learning the meaning of each individual word.

They might understand the phrase as a whole as they are tied to meaningful experiences, but not each individual word of the given phrase.

For instance, a child might hear someone say, “that bird is blue” and repeat the phrase whenever they see a bird, even different colored ones.

Gestalt language processing is not disordered speech. Most gestalt language learning children will develop full speech, language, and communication skills.

It’s also not specifically a type of neurodivergence. Autistic children are far more likely to be gestalt language processors, but allistic (non-autistic) kids can be as well.

However, if your child is a gestalt language processor, they may need some extra support as they develop language.

That’s where a speech therapist at Forte Speech & Language Therapy comes in.

For example, we can help your child learn how words fit together and form sentences.

We can also help by breaking down the phrases your child commonly uses and understand the meaning of each individual word.

It may seem surprising at first to hear your child speaking full sentences at such a young age. But gestalt language learning is not a problem. Your child may just develop language a little different than what you expected. But, we’re here to help.

Speech Therapy for Executive Function Deficits

You use your executive function skills for countless everyday tasks.

They aid in a variety of functions, such as:

Your attention span
Your ability to organize and plan tasks
Your problem solving skills
Emotional regulation

It’s common for neurodivergent children to have challenges with their executive function skills.

In particular, children with executive function deficits may have trouble with:

Starting and completing tasks
Working memory
Paying attention
Managing their time

Here at Forte Speech & Language Therapy, we can help.

If your neurodivergent child has executive function deficits, speech therapy can help by:

Practicing initiating tasks using prompts and cues
Breaking larger tasks into smaller, more manageable tasks
Creating visual cues
Visualizing what the end result of a task looks like
Providing external memory supports, such as check lists and to do lists
Improving memory through tools such as auditory rehearsals and mnemonic devices

Helpful Articles To Learn More About Speech Therapy For Neurodevelopmental Disorders

You can learn more about neurodevelopmental disorders with these articles from our speech and language therapy blog.

If you need additional help with speech therapy for neurodevelopmental disorders, our experienced team of speech therapists are here to help you anytime.