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…

Six papers contributed by graduate students report on studies that focused on the application of theory to practice in speech-language pathology and audiology. The first study revealed the ability of an autistic child to adapt to conversational partners of various ages and linguistic abilities. In the second paper, a language impaired child's…

A study investigated the existence of language disorders among 290 "high risk" middle school students (grades five through nine) in five selected Florida school districts. "High risk" students were defined as those students experiencing academic difficulties in whom language deficits would be suspected. Students from the…

A classroom-oriented therapeutic program was devised for four pragmatically impaired preschoolers who showed little spontaneous language use within the classroom. Intervention strategies focused on facilitating interactions during free play and were based on four principles for practitioners: be child-oriented; engineer the environment; use…

One component of the final report of a 3-year project to train speech language pathologists and audiologists to deliver services to young children (birth to age 5) with communication disorders, the paper describes the parent education practicum model developed by the project. The underlying philosophical foundation of the training was to adapt to…

Individuals with communicative disorders can achieve self-expression through the use of portable electronic augmentative communication aids. Real-life examples describe how individuals use microcomputers and other communication aids, such as "Express III,""Light Talker,""Phonic Mirror Handivoice 110,""Canon…

Sixty bilingual Mexican American children (20 language disorderd, 20 not qualifying for placement, 20 comparison) between the ages of 7-10 from 2 school districts in southern New Mexico participated in the study to develop and validate an assessment procedure to determine language disorders in Spanish/English bilingual children. An ex post facto…

The first of five handbooks developed by Project HAPI (Handicapped Achievement Program Improvement), a multimedia staff development program to help teachers and specialists write effective individualized education programs (IEPs), is in looseleaf workbook format and focuses on children with severe disorders of language, including aphasia and other…

Intended as a basic text for graduate courses in art therapy with handicapped children, the book contains discussions of the role of art in the handicapped child's education and the development of cognitive and creative skills through the use of art. In the first of two parts, the range of opportunities in art for cognition, adjustment, and…

An imitation training procedure was employed in Australia with an 18-year-old echolalic female in an effort to enhance daily functioning. One hundred sentences in the following curriculum areas were taught: domestic, vocational, community, and leisure. Results are discussed in terms of imitation across curriculum domains and grammatical types. (JW)

This paper presents an ecological framework for observing and evaluating the influence of society's attitudes toward disablement on the development of sociocommunicative skills in individuals using augmentative and alternative communication systems. Reviewed are the role of remediators, intervention issues, and directions for future research.…

The Centre for Communicative Exceptionalities at the University of Western Ontario is a research and teaching center, specializing in the study of problems in learning and instruction in children and adults with communication difficulties. Areas of assistance include lectures, contact with instructors, notetaking, study skills, counseling, and…

The article describes three follow-up assessment models (community setting, residential setting, and check-up clinic) explored by an interdisciplinary augmentative communication team. Services offered and training provided to professionals, parents, and university-based students, as well as costs, advantages, and disadvantages, are summarized.…

Language disorders in children are one of the most frequent causes of difficulties in communication, social interaction, learning and academic achievement. It has been estimated that over 5% of children present with some kind of language disorder. This volume illustrates the state of the art in neurogenic language disorders in children. The most…

This case study describes the experiences of a newly graduated speech-language pathologist working in a small urban school district with a series of speech-language assistants who have various levels of qualifications and personality types. It illustrates how professional supervision skills, preservice paraprofessional training,…