This study assessed communication initiation and repair behaviors of 28 adults with severe/profound mental retardation in a variety of settings. All subjects communicated through nonsymbolic gestures. All subjects initiated at least one communication act; all but three subjects repaired at least one communication act following a breakdown. Recasts…

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 reviews the existing body of research on the relationship between communication apprehension (CA) and nonverbal behavior. The strengths and limitations of three different approaches are considered. Contextual approaches are studies of CA and nonverbal behavior in which the primary focus is on communicative context (public speaking,…