Autism & Communication

In essence, communication consists of receptive and expressive language. Receptive language, our ability to receive and comprehend and expressive language, our ability to communicate to and with others, work in tandem to help individuals create meaningful relationships with individuals and the world around them. Unfortunately, many individuals with autism suffer with the ability to express themselves appropriately for a multitude of reasons. Due to these cognitive breakdowns, children with autism can find difficulty appropriately socializing and creating friends. While there are an enormous amount of studies surrounding the phenomenon of autism and its observable traits, there is still so much more to be learned. Additionally, as this disability exists on a spectrum, the degrees and variances between individuals suffering from autism has great depth and breadth.

While generalized, common characteristics of expressive language difficulty for individuals with autism include repetitive speech, impairments with initiated and sustained conversation, and a lack of developmentally appropriate language.

It is important for educators to understand and accept that students with autism spectrum disorders of varying communication abilities. Some students are verbal, and some are non-verbal. While treating students appropriately in regards to their degree of communication needs, teachers also must recognize the child as a whole. Different strategies to use with children with expressive communication needs include consistent and systematic modeling. The implementation of social skills lessons and use of social stories also help model appropriate behavior. Teachers can also use token systems and communication boards to help shape appropriate communication and social behaviors.

There are several different assistive technology devices that educators and parents can use to help enhance and structure expressive language for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Some of these tools are break cards, choice cards and past event cards. I will explain these tools in my subsequent posts.