A study involving teachers of eight children with severe autism found they interpreted many gestures, body movements, and facial expressions as if these were forms of communication. Observation data indicate some of the communicative forms identified by the teachers were associated with the communicative functions that they specified. (Contains…

Describes a case study of a young man with autism, also previously diagnosed with mental retardation and apraxia, who communicated using speech, sign language, facilitated communication, body language, and his mother's conversational supports. Participant observation, interviews, and records' review illustrate his preference for speaking and the…