Introduction
In this session, the focus will not be on speech milestones. Instead, will be to explore how speech actually develops in children—the underlying process that enables a child to learn and use language. It will also look at how this process may differ in neurodivergent children, particularly those on the autism spectrum.
Speech Begins Before Birth
Speech development starts long before a child is born. Around the 20th week of gestation, the cochlea—the hearing organ inside the inner ear—is fully developed. From this point on, the unborn baby can hear sounds from the outside world.
By the time the baby is born, the auditory system is ready to take in information. However, it’s important to understand the difference between hearing and listening.
Hearing vs. Listening
- Hearing is a biological function. The child perceives sound, but it’s passive.
- Listening is an active skill—it involves understanding and processing what is heard.
For example, a child might hear clapping but may not yet recognize it as "clapping" until they gain enough experience and understanding. This transformation of sound into meaningful information is the beginning of true language learning.
The Auditory Feedback Loop
From birth, a child begins to create an auditory feedback loop. This means:
1. The child hears a sound.
2. Responds to it.
3. Makes a sound in return.
4. Hears their own sound and adjusts.
This loop helps build the brain’s language centers, mainly:
- Wernicke’s Area – responsible for comprehension.
- Broca’s Area – responsible for speech production.
As this loop becomes stronger, the child starts understanding language and slowly begins to express themselves through speech. This process depends heavily on repetition, auditory attention, and consistent feedback.
What Happens Differently in Neurodivergent Children?
In children with autism or related neurodevelopmental conditions, this loop can be disrupted. While the child can hear, they may struggle with processing or responding to auditory information. These disruptions or "blockages" affect how well the child can understand and use language.
As a result, there's often a noticeable gap between comprehension and expression. Two-way communication becomes challenging because the connection between hearing, understanding, and expressing may not be fully established.
The Role of the Senses: Visual vs. Auditory
Humans learn through five senses, but vision is the most dominant—around 80% of information is gathered visually. For neurodivergent children, this dominance increases. Since auditory processing is harder, they often rely more on what they see than on what they hear.
These children become visual seekers—they prefer watching, exploring, and touching. While this helps them understand the world in their own way, it may delay speech, since true language learning depends on auditory engagement.
When the auditory sense remains underdeveloped, speech outcomes are directly affected. That’s why in ARULA’s approach, we focus deeply on activating and nurturing the child’s auditory pathways.
Why Understanding This Matters
Speech development in neurotypical children naturally follows a sequence where listening leads to speaking. In neurodivergent children, especially those with autism, this sequence can break down or follow a very different path.
Understanding this difference helps parents:
- Adjust their expectations,
- Focus on listening before pushing for speech,
- Use visual strengths as a bridge to auditory learning,
- And apply strategies that truly support individualized communication growth.
This is the foundation of the ARULA approach—not to force speech, but to create the right environment where it can emerge naturally.