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Why Don’t Children with Autism Respond to Their Name?

One of the early warning signs that a child might have autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is that they don’t respond to their name. This question is asked on the M-CHAT, or the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, which is a screening questionnaire for autism that parents fill out during their child’s 18-month and 24-month pediatrician well visits.

While not responding to their name alone doesn’t definitively mean they have autism, it is one of the big red flags that ASD might be present. Depending on the results of the M-CHAT, your pediatrician may want to have a follow-up conversation with you and even send you to a specialist for further evaluation.

As with many other signs and symptoms of autism, not every child will have difficulty responding to their name. ASD affects every child differently, so it’s hard to put generalizations on them.

Below, we take a look at why children with autism might not respond to their name, as well as what can be done to help them.

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Why Some Children with Autism Don’t Respond to Their Name

There are a number of reasons why a child with autism might not respond to their name. All of these relate to the specific and unique challenges that they face as part of their neurodevelopmental disorder.

Some of these reasons include …

  • Sensory Overload: Some children with autism might have trouble picking out their name from other noises in the environment, depending on how their name sounds or how it’s spoken.
  • Hyperfocus: Some children with autism focus so intensely on specific objects or activities that they have trouble hearing anything else around them.
  • Receptive Language: Trouble with communication is a hallmark of autism, and difficulties with receptive language a major area of concern. This could cause them to face obstacles in understanding and processing spoken language, even their name.
  • Social Communication: Challenges with social communication and interactions are also a common symptom of autism. This may make it difficult for a child with autism to understand the significance that their name has, or it could signify that they don’t value having social interactions like others do.

These reasons fit into two categories — things that the children can’t do and things that they won’t do.

In some cases, children with autism may not have the ability to respond to their name due to factors outside their control. In other cases, they may not simply want to respond to their name, for one reason or another.

 

What Can Be Done for Children with Autism Who Don’t Respond to Their Name?

Fortunately, children on the autism spectrum can learn to respond to their name in time, just like other skills can be taught to them. The gold standard in treatment for children with ASD is called applied behavioral analysis, or ABA therapy.

This science- and evidence-based approach to learning and behavior helps children with autism build the social, communication and daily life skills with which they commonly struggle.

Your child’s ABA therapist will work with them on a one-to-one basis to get a sense of the specific strengths they have and challenges they face. Then, a personalized ABA therapy treatment program will be created to specifically address those strengths and challenges.

ABA therapy uses positive reinforcement and repetition to teach skills over time. In the case of a child not responding to their name, the therapist may begin by pairing calling out the child’s name with a reward or positive activity if they respond to it.

For instance, if the child responds to their name appropriately when called, they might get a sweet treat, some extra praise and/or some time with a toy that they love.

There are many other strategies that ABA therapists will take to teach children with autism to respond to their name, and to encourage them to want to do so. The positive reinforcement is a great way to do that, as the children are motivated to respond to their name.

Then, parents, caregivers and other family members can be brought into the mix and taught some of the same strategies that the ABA therapist teaches during sessions. That way, the skills can be emphasized outside of sessions in real-life situations so that children continue to respond to their name.

Blue Gems ABA Administers Best-in-Class Treatments

Some children on the autism spectrum don’t respond to their name. The unique challenges that they face due to their ASD contribute to this.

That doesn’t mean that they can’t build the skills necessary to learn how to, or want to, respond to their name in the future.

At Blue Gems ABA, our team of therapists is dedicated to administering ABA therapy on a one-to-one basis, helping children on the autism spectrum gain whatever skills they need to based on their own unique strengths and challenges.

To learn more, please contact us today.