Speech Therapy Outcomes in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Longitudinal Study

Abstract

International research over the last decade has put increasing emphasis on the need for long-term, structured therapeutic input. Longitudinal studies indicate that sustained speech-language intervention strengthens vocabulary acquisition, symbolic communication, narrative skills, and engagement in reciprocal interactions. Existing literature related to Pakistan is limited due to short follow up period and is insufficient to provide robust outcomes. Therefore, this study focused on longitudinal study extended up to fourteen months under the strict and controlled surveillance of professionals. The main aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of sustained speech therapy over children with ASD. The present longitudinal study was carried out for fourteen months from the period January 2024 to February 2025. In two reputable institute of Karachi, Pakistan.  The study set criterion for the selection of age of children, and children were selected between 4 to 8 years of old and were also registered within those institutes. It was also made sure that these children must be enrolled in Speech therapies programs. The consent of parents was taken in written form. ATEC was used to capture behavioral and communicational functioning, and well-structured observational checklists were used for the assessment of spontaneous verbal behavior, joint attention episodes, and social communication indicators during their therapy sessions. The results depict the effectiveness of speech therapy in which baseline, midterm and final score records are shown for the 14 months of intervention period. Appearance in an upward trajectory for the participants with the score of baselines averaging in the mid forty (40), with follow-up of steady rise of 10 points by the evaluation of midterm and with an addition of 10 to 12 points in the final assessment. This study could contribute to devising a policy framework at government for the children with ASD and may assist the understanding of global research community for the assessment contextual based impact.