Perkins School for the Blind Transition Center

Building Communication Skills in Non-Verbal Children with Autism Using Augmentative or Alternative Systems

According to the National Research Council (2001), approximately one-third to one-half of children and adults with autism do not use speech functionally. When verbal speech or gestures are insufficient for an individual with autism to communicate their needs and wants, augmentative or alternative...

Evidence-Based Practices for Educating Children with ASD

The use of interventions derived from principles of applied behavior analysis (ABA) has a decades-long history in providing effective methods of ameliorating some of the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders. As a notable example, functional communication training (FCT)(Durand, 1990) has been shown...