Background: Rehabilitation for cognitive-communication impairments following brain injury can be complex given the heterogenous nature of impairments post injury. Project-based intervention has the potential to improve communication skills and create a meaningful real-life context where individuals collaborate to develop a concrete product, which…

DSM-5 introduced two diagnoses describing neurodevelopmental deficits in social communication (SC); Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Social (Pragmatic) Communication Disorder (SPCD). These diagnoses are differentiated by Repetitive and Restricted Behaviors (RRB), required for an ASD diagnosis and absent in SPCD. We highlight the gaps between the…

Foetal growth restriction is associated with problems in neurocognitive development. In the present study, prospectively collected cohorts of foetal growth restricted (FGR) and appropriate for gestational age grown (AGA) children were examined at early school-age by using the Children's Communication Checklist-2 (CCC-2) to test the hypothesis that…

The mirror neuron system (MNS) is a trimodal system composed of neuronal populations that respond to motor, visual, and auditory stimulation, such as when an action is performed, observed, heard or read about. In humans, the MNS has been identified using neuroimaging techniques (such as fMRI and mu suppression in the EEG). It reflects an…

The paper presents a review of the constituent skills and environmental factors which influence the initial onset and continued acquisition of requests for information in normally developing children to provide the foundation for a protocol for assessing and treating children impaired in requesting information. Specific assessment and treatment…

A language intervention approach which incorporates communication games involving vocabulary, syntax, articulation, and conversational situations appeared to result in positive changes for children with no or moderate language delays, but not for those with severe cognitive delays. (CL)

A longitudinal study was conducted on 34 children with autism to evaluate the usefulness of the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH) program for Chinese pre-school children in Hong Kong. Eighteen children received full-time center-based TEACCH program training. The control group included 16…

Defines learning disabilities and delineates characteristics of learning disabled students. Outlines steps to be taken by college geography departments for students who enroll in introductory-level geography classes. (SLM)

This article presents data showing that two of the four forms of neuroplasticity, homologous area adaptation and map extension, are relevant to recovery from aphasia. It discusses factors related to neuroplastic activity during language recovery, including neurophysiological, subject, and environmental treatment variables. (Contains references.)…

The first of two articles on play reviews the development of play in typically developing infants, toddlers, and young children, including Piaget's observations on the development of play; developmental play research following Piaget (research by Lunzer, Sinclair, Lezine, Lowe, Rosenblatt, Uzgiris and Hunt, Fenson and others, Watson and Fischer,…

This case study documents the successful use of a cognitive development-based instructional protocol to teach automatic linear scanning for computer access to a young child with severe physical and communication disabilities (cerebral palsy). The instructional program is discussed in terms of cognitive/developmental theory, educational…

A literature review identified behaviors representative of the normal stages of communication, cognition, and vocalization in children's prelinguistic period. Results were organized as a checklist for assessment of at-risk infants. The checklist is recommended for monitoring infant development, supplementing formal screenings and diagnostic tools,…

This article presents the oration that received the Poona Psychiatric Association Oration Award of the Indian Association of Child and Adolescent Mental Health for its significant contributions to child and adolescent mental health. Malhotra focuses on the features of autism and the neuropsychological theories of this disorder. She concludes that,…

Explores implications of Vygotskian developmental model for teaching number concepts to children with communication difficulties. Postulates these children develop individualized learning strategies that reflect the context of their condition. Discusses a study involving number conservation among children with communication difficulties. Advocates…