Because of recent legislation, many students with mild disabilities enroll in high school social studies courses in general education rather than special education settings. Therefore, teachers may have students with learning disabilities, behavioral disorders, communication disorders, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in their history,…

Background: Difficulties with social interaction and understanding lie at the heart of the communication disorder that characterises the autism spectrum. This study sought to improve social communication for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by means of a groupwork intervention focusing on social and emotional perspective-taking,…

The brain is the seat of intelligence, the interpreter of senses, and the controller of movement. Research efforts on the brain have increased dramatically in the past 10 years; some of the more promising areas of brain and behavioral sciences research are reported here. The research was performed by 22 separate Federal member organizations and…

Twenty-seven hearing-impaired young adults with hearing potentially usable for language comprehension and a history of speech language therapy participated in this study of training in using residual hearing for the purpose of learning spoken language. Evaluation of their recalled therapy experiences indicated that listening to spoken language did…

This resource manual has been compiled to facilitate collaboration between teachers and speech-language pathologists (SLPs), to describe types of communication disorders that SLPs work with, to identify practical pre-referral techniques for classroom implementation, and to outline goals and objectives used in remediating speech and language…

This pamphlet maintains that schools must address the needs (typically underserved or unserved in the schools) of students with oral communication disorders. The pamphlet states that such disorders range from language comprehension and/or production deficits to social communication problems, to low-level thinking skills, to hearing problems, to…

The report summarizes findings from a 3-year national self-study of the profession of speech-language pathology and audiology. The study followed a four-phase timeline; (1) identification of clinical-educational needs of the communicatively handicapped (traditionally served speech and language impaired individuals as well as those with other…

Seven papers report on speech language pathology and audiology studies performed by graduate students. The first paper reports on intelligibility of two popular synthetic speech systems used in communication aids for the speech impaired, the Votrax Personal Speech System and the Echo II synthesizer. The second paper reports facilitation of tense…

This packet of materials, which was prepared to accompany a conference presentation, contains a description of a videotape titled "Guidelines for Assessment and Evaluation of Students with Augmentative and Alternative Communication Needs." This 70-minute videotape follows three children through the assessment and evaluation process to…

A survey was conducted in Victoria, Australia, to collect data concerning the prevalence of individuals with severe communication impairments. Based on the data gathered from 1100 service facilities, the Severe Communication Impairment Outreach Project was established. Funding was acquired to employ two statewide consultant speech pathologists…

The paper describes the Makaton Vocabulary as an alternative communication mode for children and adults with communication and language difficulties. The language program comprises the following components: a core vocabulary based on concepts/items needed to express essential needs and experiences; the use of signs and/or symbols always associated…

The report presents summaries of evaluations of the Coordinated Assessment and Program Planning for Education (CAPE) Program and the Coordinated Rehabilitation and Education (CORE) program for multi-handicapped sensory impaired and/or communication and behavior disordered children and their families in Alberta, Canada. Each program is evaluated…

The report integrates findings of an international state-of-the-art study of augmentative communication, focusing on the interaction between a person using a communication aid and an able-bodied, natural speaker. Chapter titles and selected subtopics are as follows: (1) "Beyond Symbols and Switches: The Study of Communication Aid Use";…

The paper explores the spectrum of communication needs of physically handicapped individuals, focusing on six basic areas: (1) conversation, (2) messaging, (3) portable writing needs, (4) workstation writing, (5) access to computers and information processing equipment, and (6) access to controls and control panels needed for daily living or…

Five papers describe clinical research completed by graduate students in speech-language pathology and audiology. The first study examines the linguistic input of three adults (a mother, teacher, and clinician) to a language impaired 8-year-old. The clinician's approach, less directive than that of the other two, facilitated spontaneous speech and…