This annotated bibliography on the use of facilitated communication with people unable to express themselves was developed as part of a statewide training and technical assistance project in Maine. The 75 citations are listed alphabetically by author and date from 1986 through 1993. The items listed report on the use of facilitated communication…

Few models appropriately or adequately describe the literacy development experiences of children with atypical communication development, such as those with language impairment or severe disabilities. In this paper, the Interactive-to-Independent Model of literacy development is presented, influenced primarily by Vygotsky's seminal theories of…

The author, a university professor, describes his experiences in teaching language to his autistic-like son who also has visual impairments. "Experience Language," an adaptation of Language Experience Approach (LEA) is described, and its contributions to the child's reading, writing, and talking are noted. Suggestions are made on the importance of…

This article describes use of "comic strip conversations," a type of social story adapted for younger students or those with limited verbal communication skills. It utilizes simple symbols, stick figures, and color to identify key elements of a social interaction. Three steps to implementing the technique are explained and illustrated with…

This book introduces "facilitated communication," a method of assisting people with autism to communicate by means of physical assistance in typewriting. The book is organized as a kind of a story around the author's own experience using the facilitated communication method, with examples of fieldwork using qualitative research to…

This sourcebook was developed to assist in systematically integrating persons with autism into the community. It offers practical methods and considerations in assessing student and family interests and needs, assessing community resources to meet the needs, and assessing students in community sites. Based on the assessments, individual student…

Special education is now an established part of public education in the United States--by law and by custom. However, it is still widely misunderstood and continues to be dogged by controversies related to such things as categorization, grouping, assessment, placement, funding, instruction, and a variety of legal issues. The purpose of this…

This book is intended as an eclectic review and overview of what is known about autism, emphasizing clinical, rather than theoretical, aspects of the syndrome. Eleven chapters address the following topics: (1) definition of autism (myths, definitions, and facts about autism); (2) diagnosis of autism (medical versus educational diagnosis); (3)…

This manual presents 21 chapters on the use of applied behavior analysis techniques with children who have autism. After an introductory chapter, three chapters consider the choice of an effective treatment, including: "Evaluating Claims about Treatments for Autism" (Gina Green); "Early Behavioral Intervention for Autism: What Does…