Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a core component of special education for many children with learning disabilities and/or autism who have minimal or no speech. Much literature focuses on implementation of AAC in the classroom or therapy setting, but less is known about how AAC is used in the family home. Few studies are…

Background: This study is a longitudinal follow-up to prior work examining the important pragmatic skill of communication repair (i.e., the ability to respond effectively to a request for clarification of an unclear message) across three neurodevelopmental disabilities in which language skills are impaired: fragile X syndrome with and without…

Communication is an essential skill that develops in early childhood and links to later academic and social success. However, some children, such as those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), struggle to develop sufficient social communication skills and may require speech language therapy and targeted support from educators to achieve functional…

Multimodal communication may facilitate attention in infants. This study examined the presentation of caregiver touch-only and touch + speech input to 12-month-olds at high (HRA) and low risk for ASD. Findings indicated that, although both groups received a greater number of touch + speech bouts compared to touch-only bouts, the duration of…

Several researchers have described a training for mentorship programs; however, few studies have examined the effects of mentor training on mentor knowledge of communication strategies taught in the training. This investigation developed and tested a distance peer mentor training for military spouses with children with autism. Results indicated…

Interpersonal differences in the workplace and a lack of competitive employment opportunities contributed to a high unemployment rate for adults with autism. A small group of innovative organizations implemented autism employment programs that placed adults with autism in competitive roles effectively. The success of the programs, launched by…

The number of children diagnosed with autism both nationally and internationally is increasing dramatically. Development of social-communication abilities is a major difficulty for those on the Autism Spectrum (AS). Research highlights the positive impact of supporting parents to adopt facilitative communication strategies when interacting with…

Using speech as an effective communication method is a challenge for many individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Research suggests aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) used with young individuals with complex communication needs (CCN) can result in improved communication quality and frequency. The effectiveness of AAC…

With the increase in the identification of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, there is a need for teachers and coaches to have a tool box of effective strategies to facilitate physical activities for their students with ASD. Physical activity has been shown to provide numerous benefits, such as improved resilience and enhanced positive…

Facilitated communication (FC) has been interpreted as an ideomotor phenomenon, in which one person physically supports another person's hand and unconsciously affects the content of the writing. Despite the strong experimental evidence against the authenticity of FC output, several studies claim to support its validity based on idiosyncrasies…

Contemporary parent-implemented early intervention programs for children with autism spectrum disorder usually incorporate a range of techniques with different theoretical underpinnings. While research suggests that parents often learn to implement interventions with an acceptable degree of overall fidelity, there is limited research into parent…

Visual supports are recommended in autism spectrum disorder clinical guidelines. They can reduce anxiety, increase predictability, support communication and improve participation. They are implemented regularly in schools, but evidence about home visual supports is limited. This article reports results of a scoping literature review, alongside…

Many protocols assessing social communication skills of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are based on behavioral observations. It has been suggested, however, that social cognition encompasses processes underlying observable behaviors. Such processes include personal constructs, which can be assessed using repertory grids. Personal…

We draw on an article published in 1973 in this journal. We described how we taught "Geoff," a 6-year old boy with autism, an elementary form of sign language during the course of 24 one-hour sessions held over a 12-week period (Webster et al. in "J Autism Child Schizophr" 3:337-346, 1973; Fruchter in "Autism: new…

Purpose: The present clinical focus draws on an intrinsic case study to provide a thick description of the communication profile of John, a 9-year-old minimally verbal autistic student. Method: Specifically, traditional behavioral assessments, classroom video observations, and semistructured interviews were used to gather information regarding…