It has been well established that young children with communication disorders (CD) have considerable difficulties interacting socially with peers in free-play settings. The central purpose of this study was to determine whether behavioral adaptations of children with CD could contribute to their peer interaction problems. To accomplish this, the…

Despite research that has documented the powerful role of social networks for obtaining employment, only recently has this issue been explored for people with disabilities. Drawing on qualitative data gathered from 38 individuals with severe communication disabilities who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), this study explores…

Purpose: To determine a population-based estimate of communication disorders (CDs) in children; the co-occurrence of intellectual disability (ID), autism, and emotional/behavioral disorders; and the impact of these conditions on the prevalence of CDs. Method: Surveillance targeted 8-year-olds born in 1994 residing in 2002 in the 3 most populous…

This guide is designed to assist principals in the supervision of special education programs in their schools. The first of seven papers, by Ann Schnepf and Linda DeClue, offers a general overview of supervisory practices pertaining to special education. Subsequent papers review specific categories of students with disabilities and the supervision…

This paper addresses the involvement of students with severe communication disorders in school curricula. First, current best practices regarding eligibility for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) services are addressed. This is followed by a discussion of whether students who use AAC systems should be educated in regular or special…

This report describes a project designed to promote infusion of computer technology into graduate-level curricula in communication disorders (Here often called "Communication Sciences and Disorders"). The Leadership Project's major goal was to improve the training of doctoral level faculty, administrators, and researchers in the uses of…

This guide is intended to assist individuals (including therapists, relatives and friends, and volunteer and paid tutors) who are attempting to help adults relearn communication skills lost through stroke or accident. The first section examines dysphasia and the needs of dysphasics in an attempt to help the layperson understand the causes of…

The paper looks at rules for discourse in the classroom and how they may complement or conflict with each other in facilitating the learning of language disordered children in the classroom or therapy session. Six critical skills are identified which children need for a good teaching-learning interaction. They are: attention, turn taking,…

A study was conducted to investigate parental belief systems and parental childrearing practices relative to the intellectual development of their communication-handicapped preschool children. Consideration was given to the context of family size and ordinal position of the communication-handicapped child. A total of 60 two-parent families with…

Presented for preschool teachers are guidelines for meeting the needs of speech and language delayed children. Information is provided on the following topics: language development theory, the difference between speech and language, normal speech and language development (including a chart of language milestones from birth to 6 years), disorders…

Speech, language, and communication disorders were among the topics of papers presented at the convention of the Council for Exceptional Children in Chicago, 1970. Discussions include evaluation theory and caseload selection by Lear Ashmore, differential diagnosis in a rural school by William L. Shinder, the practical application of differential…

Many severely disabled individuals who rely on augmentative and alternative communication systems experience difficulties using newly acquired communication skills in settings different from those introduced in the instructional context and with different conversational partners. Methods of promoting functional communication skills are addressed,…

The use of microcomputer-assisted therapy as part of the total rehabilitation plan for brain-injured individuals with cognitive-communicative impairments is addressed. Design of effective computer-assisted remediation requires a careful decision-making process. Specific types of software are suggested for dealing with deficits in organization,…

This report discusses the objectives and outcomes of a project that investigated the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems by students with severe communication disabilities. The first objective of the project was to conduct five investigations to identify skills that contribute to the communicative competence of students…

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…