This article focuses on a narrative account of a therapeutic journey experienced by 2 of the authors: an individual (P.D.) with a diagnosis in adulthood of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a speech-language pathologist/researcher (I.W.). Instead of adopting a traditional expert clinician treating an impaired patient stance in a highly formalized…

Social neuroscience research has resulted in changing views of the theory of mind (ToM) construct. Theory of mind is no longer viewed as a unitary construct, but rather as a multidimensional construct comprising cognitive and affective ToM and interpersonal and intrapersonal ToM, each of which has differing neurophysiological/neuroanatomical…

As more students identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) graduate high school and aspire to a college education, the need for intervention and support targeted to their needs has become apparent. Designing effective programs of support rests on comprehensive and appropriate assessment. This article provides a critical review of areas to…

This study provides qualitative and quantitative evidence of how an emotion explanation task can reflect African American preschoolers' pragmatic skills. We used an emotion explanation task to assess pragmatic skills among 19 children (aged 3-5 years) related to (1) engaging in conversational turn-taking, (2) answering "Wh-" questions,…

Camp Campus is a 1-week campus experience for juniors or seniors in high school or high school graduates who are diagnosed with high-functioning autism, Asperger syndrome, or a related social communication disorder and who plan to attend college. Participants experience campus life by partaking of campus services, living and dining on campus,…

This article focuses on why and how speech-language pathologists and other professionals can encourage the involvement of parents in teaching social communication skills to their young children. Four main topics are explored: (1) the evidence that many of the children with special needs served by speech-language pathologists and other…

During clinical interactions between speech-language pathologists and adults with aphasia, a variety of emotional issues arise. The literature suggests that while counseling is within the scope of practice, SLPs tend to avoid emotional issues in therapy (A. Holland, 2007a). The precise mechanisms employed for circumventing emotional issues in…

The article discusses the research evidence for the speech language and psychosocial benefits of conversationally based aphasia groups like building interpersonal relationships.

The article examines the social-academic nature of storytelling, reviews studies of narrative ability of learning disabled students, and offers suggestions for developing narratives in the classroom setting. (CL)

The article on the effects of social and linguistic environment on language learning in children reviews findings on child-centered interaction styles, touching upon interactional style and language processing and cross-cultural studies of interactional style. (CL)

Research is reviewed on conversational competence in learning disabled (LD) children. LD children are viewed as eager to fulfill conversational responsibilities while compensating for linguistic inadequacies. Findings emphasize the importance of teaching conversational skills. (CL)

This paper reviews the research on loneliness as an emotional consequence of relationship difficulties in childhood and its particular relevance to children with language difficulties. Suggestions are made concerning intervention efforts to reduce loneliness for children with language problems. (Author/DB)

Research is reviewed on the communicative ability of learning disabled (LD) adolescents and its effects on acceptance by peers. Difficulties are noted in social perception, oral language, and social experience. Suggestions for enhancing communication and social skills include using group-contingent reinforcements and exposing LD students to normal…

The article reports on two effective peer intervention strategies for handicapped children with social deficits. In the first, nonhandicapped children are taught to use interaction promoting strategies and in the second, handicapped and nonhandicapped children are taught sociodramatic play scripts which encourage interaction during free play.(DB)

This article provides an overview of 3 approaches to peer-mediated intervention that have been effective in improving the social and communicative interactions among young children with autism and other developmental disabilities and their classmates without disabilities. These empirically supported peer-mediated interventions involve teaching…