Individuals who have difficult-to-understand speech and minimal reading skills are often limited to icon or picture-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. However, basic phonemic awareness skills could make strategies such as alphabet supplementation, in which the speaker selects the first letter of words they are…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) exhibit abnormal development in the areas of communication and social interactions from the time of birth or soon after. Social skills are important not only for making friends, but also for doing well in school, finding and keeping a job, and navigating through life. Because of the increasing…