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Building Communication Competence through Milieu Speech-Language Therapy
Speech and language therapy treatment is typically viewed in two ways: pull-out versus push-in. Pull-out therapy occurs outside of the student’s classroom for an allotted amount of time, typically without his or her peers, while push-in therapy, in the school setting, is when services are...
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There’s More to Communication than Language, Grammar, and Vocabulary
Autism, in the general sense, is often defined as a disorder involving deficits of communication. This is certainly true for nonverbal autistics, as well as for those who cannot be “reached” even though they are capable of expressing speech. What about those autistics who are fully verbal and...
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A Group-Format Parent Training Program to Improve Communication Skills in Young Children with ASD
The first few years of life are an important period for communication and language development. Even before the emergence of spoken language, typically-developing children engage in communicative interchanges with caregivers through gaze, directed facial expressions, gestures, and vocalizations....
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Evaluation and Assessment of Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a generally life-long neurodevelomental disorder characterized by impairments in social communication and social interaction and the presence of restricted and repetitive behavior. There is significant heterogeneity among individuals with ASD, and symptoms of ASD...
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Fragile X Drug Trial Gets $11.5 Million in NIH Funding – UC Davis Mind Institute to Research Promising Therapy for Language Learning
The UC Davis MIND Institute and Rush University Medical Center have been awarded $11.5 million from the National Institutes of Health to test a new therapy designed to improve language learning for children fragile X syndrome. Fragile X syndrome is a single-gene disorder and the most common...
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To Speak or Not to Speak Only English
As families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) become more culturally and linguistically diverse, they often seek clarity about bilingualism and its effects on their children’s communication patterns. They are apprehensive about speaking to their children in their language other...
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Giving Logan a Voice – One Father’s Trailblazing Creation to Help His Son
Logan was born in 1997 and is now aged 18 - what a journey we have all had! He was born 2 years after Maia, his sister, and in the early years developed as we expected him to. He was a very easy baby, sleeping soundly with very little disruption. His motor development was normal and early language...
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A Developmental Map to Social Success
Unusual, strained, or scarce social interactions often constitute many of the visible and distinct indicators of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Formal diagnostic descriptions, professional resources, and firsthand accounts delineate innumerable examples of ASD-associated interpersonal behavior....
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The Impact of Expressive, Receptive, and Pragmatic Language Deficits in the Workplace
Most individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have vocational strengths and are increasingly being hired by small businesses and corporate chains. ASD, by definition, is characterized by communication deficits. Once hired, these deficits present as challenges for individuals with ASD....
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Maintaining Social Skills Over the Summer
Summer is a time for relaxation and fun, however certain skills acquired during the school year can be lost if they are not practiced consistently over the course of the entire year. One of the first things parents should identify, are IEP goals targeted by school staff to be maintained over...
