The forms, functions, and targets of the spontaneous communication of 30 children (age 4-13) with autism were observed during school activities. Communication patterns varied by cognitive level and autism severity, but the prototypical communicative event involved a child directing a motoric form of communication toward the teacher to request…

Analysis of 7 classrooms for children (ages 3-17) with developmental disabilities and a day-care center with nondisabled preschoolers revealed that less than 14% of the 6,000 observation intervals contained an opportunity for communication. Most opportunities involved naming an object or event, followed in frequency by opportunities to request,…