"Dimensions of Communication" is a manual to assess the communication skills and behaviors of individuals with disabilities. It is an assessment instrument designed to help teachers, parents, educational specialists, speech-language therapists, psychologists, and other service providers evaluate the communication skills of individuals…

At least 60% of children with disabilities have multiple disabilities including visual impairments (VI). Because the visual system is neurologically based, any problems of the neurological system will also likely affect vision. The estimated number of students with VI and additional disabilities has increased significantly over the years. Since…

The study found that five multiply handicapped two-year-olds engaged in a greater frequency of communicative behaviors, a higher number of limb movements, and a higher developmental level of communicative behaviors when the interaction was child-initiated compared to when it was adult-initiated. (Author/JDD)

The Communication Observation Schedule (COS) records systematically the pragmatics of communication with children who have deaf-blindness and are functioning from the prelanguage to true words level. The COS provides the opportunity to record the purpose of an interaction, who initiates and who responds to it, the mode of response, and whether the…

This article reviews normal visual development and the role of visual gaze behaviors in attention and social interaction, discusses how the information applies to many multiply handicapped visually impaired children, and describes ways of incorporating this information into assessment and programing. (DB)

A study assessed whether the impact of a microswitch-based program on indices of happiness would be comparable with that of a stimulation program on three persons with profound multiple disabilities. The microswitch-based program produced increases that were fairly clear for two participants and quite modest for the third. (Contains references.)…

Practical and concise, this introductory guide is filled with real-world tips and strategies for anyone working to improve the communication of children with moderate, severe, and multiple disabilities. Emphasizing the link between behavior and communication, three respected researchers transform up-to-date research and proven best practices into…

This article discusses the inclusion of systematic preference assessment within transitional planning as a way to accurately interpret the preferences of students who use limited symbolic or nonsymbolic communication means. By using person-centered planning as a framework, it illustrates how to embed preference assessment within transitional…

This combined audiovisual and textual package presents results of a symposium which attempted to identify critical issues and best practices in developing communication skills of children and youth with severe disabilities and to recommend future directions. The package is intended for group use and includes a guide, a videotape, and texts of the…