From early in childhood, humans exhibit sophisticated intuitions about how to share knowledge efficiently in simple controlled studies. Yet, untrained adults often fail to teach effectively in real-world situations. Here, we explored what causes adults to struggle in informal pedagogical exchanges. In Experiment 1, we first showed evidence of this…

Rett syndrome (RTT) is associated with a range of serious neurodevelopmental consequences including severe communicative impairments. Currently, no evidence-based communication interventions exist for the population (Sigafoos et al., 2009). The purpose of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of functional assessment (FA) and…

Individuals who have difficult-to-understand speech and minimal reading skills are often limited to icon or picture-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies. However, basic phonemic awareness skills could make strategies such as alphabet supplementation, in which the speaker selects the first letter of words they are…

Reasons for limited spontaneity of communication in individuals with high support needs are considered and include: it is an inherent characteristic, a product of highly structured teaching programs, a form of learned helplessness, or a product of a failure to systematically program for spontaneity. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Volume 2 of the handbook has been designed to supplement the material presented in Volume 1, which was concerned with basic problems associated with the Adult Basic Education (ABE) classroom. Volume 2 aims at a wider audience. Chapter 1 attempts to give a detailed description of the deprived adult learner, and considers such questions as how they…