Communication In Communication

There are many different obstacles autism spectrum individuals have to overcome in their daily lives; social insecurities, eye contact, appropriate spatial awareness etc. But in most cases, their biggest hurdle is mostly their communication skills; it’s been shown that communication impairment is at the heart of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and that children with ASD can show a wide range of communication skills as discussed by Agius and Vance (2015). According to Agius and Vance, there is up to a 30% positive diagnosis of children with ASD who will forever remain nonverbal (no consistent verbal communication). With such a high percentage of ASD children it is recommended that their communication and learning needs are to be addressed by using the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), it has been shown as an effective intervention that addresses individuals with ASD and their learning and communication needs (Ogletree, Morrow-Odom, & Westling, 2015). PECS has helped children and young adults with ASD communicate with those around them; their teachers, peers, parents etc.

Have you ever experience a moment when you were unable to communicate your words, or couldn’t think of the word to use the feeling you were trying to describe? Everyone has felt this way before, possibly multiple times per day. But the reality is for the people in our community with autism, this is a constant feeling of difficulty to communicate effective with others. The people that are diagnosed with autism face the daily obstacles of being unable to use their voice and having to learn different ways to read body language and tone of voice, something that comes fairly easy to most of us. The communication barriers facing people with autism enable us to work past the differences and find a new way of communicating that is effective for them.

People with autism experience what professionals call the Triad of Impairments, part of this trio is communication. They have difficulty processing and remembering verbal information. Problems lie in using language effectively, Common problems are lack of eye contact, poor attention, being able to point objects to others, and difficulty with the 'give and take ' in normal conversation. Some individuals sometimes use language in unusual ways, retaining features of earlier stages of language development for long periods or throughout their lives. Some speak only single words, while others repeat a mimicked phrase over and over The body language of people with autism can be difficult for other people to understand. Facial

My personal experience working with individuals with autism have shown me a deterioration in their social interaction and in verbal and non-verbal communication behaviors. Dole & Iland (2005) cited the US Individual Disability Education Act that “classifies a child with autism when the child has significant disability in verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction that affects the child’s performance educationally”. Mostly, people who are diagnosed with autism have proof of echolalia, which is a speech pattern that affects their social interaction with others. By definition, echolalia is a repetition or echoing of verbal words made by individual. According to Prizant (1983), more than 70% of individuals with autism show

Most children are eager communicators who are determined to engage their world and the people within it. Social interaction and communication lay the foundation for learning, and help children build important life skills that are critical for development. When a child is affected by autism, these skills are usually greatly diminished, and the development of the child becomes delayed. As the number of children diagnosed with Autism increases, so does the need for new therapeutic strategies and techniques for intervention. Speech therapists have been turning to technology to help their clients communicate since the invention of the first AAC device. Individuals with autism typically prefer to

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a continuum disorder in which symptoms usually arise in early-childhood. Some individuals with ASD will display mild symptoms, while other individuals with ASD may display more severe symptoms, the spectrum aspect of autism causes this widespread diagnosis. Recognizing the spectrum disorder as a whole, and continually focusing on the strengths and weaknesses of each individual child’s development across all areas, is one of the many difficult factors of ASD. Among other deficits, communication deficits are especially prevalent for many individuals diagnosed with ASD. Some individuals are considered nonverbal or mostly nonverbal, while others may struggle solely with social communication, others still may not have any difficulty communicating with other individuals (DSM-5, 2016).

Moreover, autism seems to be an increasing diagnosis. However, it is not certain whether the growing number of diagnoses is because of a true increase or due to the increase of knowledge and improvement in detection. Autism disorders are characterized, in varying degrees, by verbal and nonverbal communication and repetitive behaviors, and difficulty in social interaction (Autism Speaks). The disorders are also recognized with intellectual disability, difficulties in motor coordination, attention, and multiple physical health issues. People with autism spectrum disorder might have trouble speaking with other people, and making eye contact during conversation. Additionally, they may show some behaviors that are repetitive, and have very restricted interests. Although

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can make it difficult for people to communicate with others. In Christopher’s case he has a lot of trouble understanding facial expressions and knowing what someone’s tone towards a conversation means. His teacher, Siobhan, wrote expressions on a piece of paper and labeled them with what they meant to help him in conversations. He said, “I kept the piece of paper in my pocket and took it out when I didn't understand

Often time’s children with Autism have some degree of communication impairment some children do not speak at all, while others struggle with speech. The degree of communication issues vary some children echo or repeat what others have said even though they may not understand what they are saying. “Auditory processing- The autistic brain processes auditory information more slowly and with greater difficulty than a typical brain. Because of this, the rapid pace of conversation and the expectation that they are able to listen, comprehend, form an opinion/reaction and respond in a short time period is stressful.” (Henry, 2012)

Autism is known as a complex developmental disability. Experts believe that autism presents itself during the first three years of a person's life. The condition is the result of a neurological disorder that has an effect on normal brain function, affecting development of the person's communication and social interaction skills. People with autism have issues with non-verbal communication, a wide range of social interactions, and activities that include an element of play or banter. “Today, it is estimated that one in every 110 children is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined” (What is Autism

One in eighty-eight (88) children have been identified with autism in the United States, roughly 30 percent higher than the previous estimates reported in 2012 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2012). In addition, of the many different characteristics of people who are autistic, some of these are the non-verbal types. In this particular type of autism, children are mute and can only make sounds to communicate. These children have particular difficulty acquiring expressive communication skills (Schlosser & Wendt, 2008), and they have difficulties in social interaction, including verbal and nonverbal communication (Sicile-Kira, 2004).

Most children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have delays in language development relative to their nonverbal mental age (Stevens et al., 2000; Tager-Flushberg, 1988; Tager-Flusberg & Sullivan, 1998) and approximately half of young children with autism fail to acquire speech as their primary mode of communication (Prizant, 1996).

People with Autism are presented with difficulties with social interactions, in particular, establishing and maintaining relationships. There is a lack of responsiveness to non-verbal forms of communications, like facial expressions, physical gestures and eye contact. Often, they are unable to fully express needs due to being unable to interpret and understand others needs. These lack of social interactions effect their ability to share others interests and activities, which gives the appearance that they are socially distant. The cause of their inability to understand non-verbal forms of communication which causes them to become withdrawn socially; is due to a delay in speech.

Total communication is a way of educating children with a loss of hearing, this system incorporates all means of communication. Including formal signs, natural gestures, finger spelling, body language, listening, lipreading, and speech. In these TC programs it is most common that the children are wearing hearing aids or cochlear implants. The intent of the TC programs is to provide each child with the tools of communication needed for their development language competence. This program is open for use by families and educators. Many people in the TC program strongly believe that most learning and comprehension occurs when you interact with other people. It is very important to this program that you can communicate with individuals with the understanding of what you are talking about about. Total communication can open so many different directions and avenues of communication for deaf children.

Since young age, my mom has always taught me to eat healthy. All I ever heard was “More fruit and vegetable is the way to go”. Yes, in a country like mine, where we grow vegetables, we can be certain of their rich nutrients and the fact they are good for the health. Here, not only fruit and vegetable are quite expensive but we can’t be sure that we purchase a natural source. The organic labels and the packages are making products good looking and an instant catch for the eye. The truth is I’ve never thought in this matter before, since I am used to buy and use everything organic. The purchasing habits that my family has developed are extremely good. But is it enough? Being so narrowed in our idea of eating healthy and green