This study assessed communication initiation and repair behaviors of 28 adults with severe/profound mental retardation in a variety of settings. All subjects communicated through nonsymbolic gestures. All subjects initiated at least one communication act; all but three subjects repaired at least one communication act following a breakdown. Recasts…

Work with a mute, autistic, severely handicapped girl over five years (ages 7-11) is analyzed using developmental pragmatics. While she often used interactive acts leading to environmental consequences, she was almost never observed using any that led to a social consequence. She learned to point and gesture but not voluntarily. (Author/VW)

The report examines research on differences in the interpretations of discrepant and nondiscrepant messages by normal and emotionally disturbed children and reports on a study in which tone of voice and verbal content were discrepant in their affective meaning. A review of the research on discrepant messages, their delivery, interpretation, and…