Enhancing Communication: The Case for Teaching Public Speaking Skills to Autistic Individuals

• By: Nigora Raufova MS, CCC-SLP, TSSLD New Jersey Institute of Technology
• April 4th, 2025
• advocacy, communication, education, neurodiversity, public speaking, social skills, speech therapy, Spring 2025 Issue, workplace inclusion
• 170    0

“My stomach feels kind of weird,” an autistic middle school student once said to me when I asked him how he was feeling before he went on stage to co-host a talent show with me. I told him that he was experiencing anxiety, and people describe this as having “butterflies in your stomach.” As...

It’s Never Too Late to Communicate: Increasing Communication Access for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism

• By: Laura Nagy, MS, CCC-SLP Melmark
• December 30th, 2024
• adults, communication, speech therapy, support, Winter 2025 Issue
• 1057    0

An estimated 5 million people in the United States are living with complex communication needs (CCN) (Beukelman & Light, 2020). This estimate includes people across all age groups and disability types who experience difficulties meeting their communication needs using only verbal speech....

Language Development and Communication for Nonverbal Autistic Children

• By: Chantal Rainford, BCBA, LBA Nevada Autism Center
• July 12th, 2022
• AAC devices, American Sign Language, children, communication, language, Music Therapy, nonverbal, PECS, picture exchange communication system, pivotal response training, speech therapy
• 5393    3

Autism spectrum disorder is one that has a broad range of symptoms, but many with its diagnosis have similar “core” symptoms. Difficulties with language and communication is a shared struggle for many. Thankfully, with today’s constantly evolving technology and research, individuals with...