Selective mutism (SM) is considered a communication and anxiety disorder that afflicts about 1% of students. The rarity of SM and the isolated cases of this condition has rendered the elementary to secondary school experience for a student with SM difficult to study. Utilizing a qualitative approach, this phenomenological case study examined the…

The purpose of this study was to determine how a family communication partner (usually the mother IS primarily responsible for communication with a youth with a communication disability) could be trained to use an iPad and communication software for increasing appropriate communication and decreasing inappropriate behavior of youth with…

Given the linguistic and cognitive demands of communication, adult Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) users with acquired communication disorders may have difficulty using AAC systems consistently and effectively in "real-life" situations. The process of recommending AAC systems and strategies is an area of exploration,…

An orientation to autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), also known as autism, is provided, and the specific syndrome of autism and deafness is addressed. The two conditions have in common a major problem: communication. Case histories are provided, the development of treatment for autism is discussed, and the separate disorders that make up ASD are…

Focuses on moral agency in contexts of oppression in a case study involving unintelligibility between two women who identify differently with respect to sexual preference. Demonstrates the similarity of intelligibility to an ethics of care through conceptual analysis, and considers ways that such moral learning is relevant to moral educators. (DSK)

Nine hours of videotape of an integrated eight-year-old deaf child of hearing parents, in social and instructional settings, were analyzed using a Vygotskian model. Analysis focused on: the frequency, amount, and kinds of interactions; the means of communication; the importance of context; the use of eye contact; and repair/avoidance of…

A case study investigated the effectiveness of a new technology to aid people who are deaf or hard of hearing to participate fully in meetings held in the workplace through the use of Computer Assisted Remote Transcription (CART), in which a stenographer transcribes a meeting from a remote location. Results indicated some problems with using the…

Work with a mute, autistic, severely handicapped girl over five years (ages 7-11) is analyzed using developmental pragmatics. While she often used interactive acts leading to environmental consequences, she was almost never observed using any that led to a social consequence. She learned to point and gesture but not voluntarily. (Author/VW)

This paper examines the uncertainty and ambiguity surrounding student teaching supervision which may result from the individually idiosyncratic and imprecise use of language in clinical instruction and evaluative judgments. Case study methodology is used to compare the language used and the underlying images of "student teaching" and "effective…

It has been widely acknowledged in language acquisition research that cultural learning is an inseparable part of language learning. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the culture of classroom learning which involves both teachers' and learners' cultural values, beliefs, roles, expectations, and conceptions of teaching and learning.…

The University of Manchester (England) and University of Georgia adult-education programs established a listserv, a computer-based community in cyberspace, to create international links and experiment with new technology. The project failed to develop a sense of community among participants, which had its origins in assumptions about groups in…

Using an evaluation of a hospital-based hospice as a case study, this paper analyzes problematic issues surrounding health care teams (HCTs) in light of findings revealed in the literature concerning HCT structures and processes. The factors of coordination and role definitions in HCTs and their manifestations in a particular hospice HCT in terms…

Communication theory can be used by medical practitioners to enhance significantly their ability to provide appropriate treatment. Complete understanding of the communication experience for an individual must include three dimensions: (1) intrapersonal communication that serves to unite the parts of the self, (2) interpersonal communication to…

To show that the bottom line for successful operation of a multinational company is understanding the cultural background of its employees and adapting to cultural change, this paper cites studies indicating that attitudes, communication, interpersonal skills, and motivation may be more important than technical skills in ensuring success in…

A survey of 20 university students of English as a Second Language in China revealed lack of understanding of the role of listening in communication. Students believed they had good understanding of English vocabulary but had difficulty understanding a speaker's main ideas. Only a minority agreed that listener feedback affects the speaker's…