Aphasia as A Speech Disorder in Sudanese Autistic Children

Abstract

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate Aphasia as speech disorders among Sudanese Autistic children under the age of 4 to 14 years. Four cases were chosen randomly to form the study sample. The participants are from different grades and different ages. Besides being pupils enrolled in schools, these children were also under surveillance and observation by SLPs and experts. To gain the results the researcher has conducted 30 sessions to observe the children's behavior. Other 20 persons were also selected to contribute to the study. These participants are parents of the Autistic children and experts who are connected with Autism. The researcher has conducted a questionnaire for these 20 participants. Two major instruments were used in this study, which are: a) observation of the children with Autism b) a questionnaire for parents, experts and teachers. The most important findings of this study are: 1) Every child with Autism has speech disorders and problems of communication. 2) Autism Speech Disorder (ASD) is not always related to physiological brain damage as it was thought at the first time when people experienced ASD impairments among children. It is a complicated neurological problem that the child experiences, turning his life into a mysterious suffering. 3) Speech disorders lock the children's potential in the learning process, as well as establishing gap between them and their classmates. This is because autistic children have their different needs and interests. 4) Autism is considered one of the diseases most responsible for children's speech and communication problems. It is difficult sometimes to identify child with autism without a complete knowledge about the disease.

5) Most of the Autistic children tested in this study lack concentration when they communicate with their partners. They do not often recognize normal things in daily life, like the names of room elements or directions or any simple statement. 6) Autistic children are born normally then they start losing speech. In the four cases researched the parents do not know the reason behind their child‘s unfamiliar behaviors, which can form with the universal studies. Based on the finding of this study the following recommendations can be made: l) Since the studies done in speech disorders with regard to Autism are very few in Sudan and nearly non-existed, the researcher recommends further studies to be done that look at the biological effect of the parents on their newborn child. 2) The researcher also recommends whoever responsible in the field of health and education should provide parents with the most significant symptoms of autistic children in the way that they can handle Autism in its early phase. 3) Before handing their autistic child to SLP, parents should work hard with their child following the scientific stages with him/her and giving him/her hope to recover. 4) It is not always wise to keep the autistic child at home separated from his parallels; rather, a child needs to accustom the presence of his colleagues and needs to engage more with their activities, this procedure helps aggressive autistic children much more.