Preverbal communication means any social behavior that occurs before children communicate verbally. Generally, these communicative behaviors are categorized into two ways: as behavior regulation (BR) or joint attention (JA) skills. BR, also referred to as requesting, involves the use of behaviors to gain something or receive assistance (Mundy et…

This article outlines five achievements of the last 20 years that have had or have the potential for a significant effect on the communication of individuals with autism, including greater understanding of the development of language and nonverbal communication in individuals with autism. Suggestions for future research are offered. (Contains…

The article describes a model for teaching conversational skills to young communicatively handicapped children in the context of everyday activities in the preschool setting. Structured around initiation and participation strategies, intervention emphasizes the interaction of adult teaching and child learning strategies. (JW)

Six language-impaired children, aged 4-7, were studied in two routinized contexts (a lesson without music and a singing session) and child-teacher talk was analyzed. Results showed that the addition of music to a routinized context has the potential to increase the language-impaired child's ability to interact non-verbally. (Author/JDD)

This article discusses research findings in increasing language skills in children with autism, assessing and teaching precursors relating to positive outcome, the importance of family involvement in intervention, best practices for communicative interventions, interrelationships between language and other autistic behaviors, and the social and…

This paper summarizes and illustrates an approach to assessment of communication development and treatment which focuses on the early relationships of preconversational children with their significant adults. The assessment approach is part of the Ecological Communication (ECO) model, which views caregivers of delayed children as critical to the…

Strategies and considerations for establishing initial communication repertoires in young children with severe disabilities are described using a case example of a four-year-old nonverbal child. Issues include: assessing unconventional forms of communication, motivating the child when being taught new communication forms, and promoting…

Reviews interventions to help children who are deaf-blind to acquire and use communication skills. Focuses on children whose hearing and vision loss preclude traditional methods of communication training. Considers approaches from initial motor-based contacts with the outside environment to learning formal signs or the use of assistive technology.…

The paper reviews normal communication skills in infants, young children, and adults from the perspective of barriers to communication interaction and implications for handicapped individuals. The communicative competence construct is described, noting the complex relationship between verbal and nonverbal behavior. Parental response to a child's…

A classroom-based pragmatic language intervention program was conducted with 6 boys (ages 8-12) with emotional and behavioral disorders. The intervention positively influenced the ability of the participants to employ pragmatic skills, such as providing sufficient and detailed information, stating opinions, and using verbal language to negotiate…

This report discusses the outcomes of a study that used indirect language stimulation techniques and modeling to encourage language development in a 5-year-old child with cerebral palsy. Initially, the student's communication system had very severe limitations. He used fewer than 10 spoken words which were unintelligible to most listeners. Both…

Focusing on the preconversational child who has yet to develop a stable or generalized habit of spontaneous conversation, this book presents ECO (Ecological Communication Model), a new intervention model for social and communicative development of developmentally delayed children. The model is based on two perspectives: the literature on the…

Purpose: This study examined the effects of expressive and receptive language levels on initiated and repaired communication acts by prelinguistic children with developmental disabilities. Method: In this descriptive study, participants were 45 children between the ages of 3 and 6 years who had severe delays in expressive communication. Some…

This practicum report describes development, implementation, and evaluation of a program which used an augmentative and alternative communication system with six nonverbal preschool children with developmental disabilities attending a special school. An extensive review of the literature on augmentative and alternative communication systems was…

This collection of papers focuses on how adults communicate with children in institutional settings such as public schools and day care centers, and how professionals in the field of communication disorders communicate among themselves. Papers include: "Introduction: Linguistic Theories and Language Interaction" (Madeline M. Maxwell); "Inuit…