Social Interaction, Verbal, And Nonverbal Communication

We are living in a time where a remarkable and advanced medical treatments exist. However, scientists and medical professionals are constantly faced with diseases and disorders that contemporary humanity needs a cure and treatment. Amongst the disorders that affecting our young people today is the autism spectrum disorder. It is a “complex and life long behavioral disorder marked by impairment in social and communicative abilities”(Evans, et al., 2008). People living with autism range from those with high IQ’s to those with intellectual retardadtion.

To me interpersonal communication describes the exchange of verbal and nonverbal messages between two different people. Joseph DeVito states that “interpersonal communication is inevitable, irreversible, and unrepeatable” due to these things effective communication is a necessary skill for us to function in our day to day lives (p. 20). Therefore, I have created a theory for interpersonal communication that goes as follows; To experience effective communication you must understand: your culture, the other person’s culture, and how to listen effectively. By knowing these three things you can consistently avoid misunderstandings and promote understanding in your interpersonal and intercultural relationships.

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.

Non-verbal communication consists mainly of the things people do with their body language. There are times where words are expressed and non-verbal communication could help emphasize the message. A few examples of nonverbal communication are hand gestures eye contact, facial expressions as well as tone and volume. I was given this assignment to observe a situation and take note of the nonverbal communication that occurred. I also had to observe whether the non-verbals were able to execute the message and if the behavior was acceptable.

Autism is a rare disease that can be characterized by a “neurodevelopmental disorder categorized by the inability to relate to and perceive the environment in the realistic manner.” (Anthes, 1997) The signs of autism are mainly found in infants to young children usually between the ages of newborn to two years. The main symptoms that are discussed are “impairment in social interaction fixation of inanimate objects, inability to communicate normally, and resistance to changes in their daily routine.” (Anthes, 1997) Autism is a very understood disease but one thing most people do not know is that autism not only effects a child’s life mentally and physically, it also effects their social ability to have friends, play normally and even grow up

Many of us have heard about Autism, also knows as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Some have a family member, a friend, or know someone who has ASD. Increasingly it is becoming a more common disability. “Autism is one of the fastest-growing developmental disorders in the U.S” (Autism Speaks). Autism has no respect for gender, race, social class and or ethnicity. “Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder that involves abnormal development and function of the brain.” (Autism Center of Excellence) People who have autism have a lot of difficulties with social skills, communication and also will develop behavior issues. These behavior problems of an individual with autism can vary at times and can go from mild to severe. According to the Autism Science Foundation it says,” Many people with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) also have unusual ways of learning, paying attention, and reacting to different sensations. The thinking and learning abilities of people with ASD can vary—from gifted to severely challenged.” The causes and symptoms, as well as the diagnosis, and the treatments of autism vary.

Autism affects many children each year and it is important for parents to be aware of delays in their child’s development, in in any area of communication. According to a study by the Kennedy Krieger Institute’s Center for Autism and Related Disorders, autistic children possessing a language difficulty or delay have a seventy percent chance of showing fluent speech by the age of eight (“Speech”). Although a child shows delay or impairment in language at a young age, it is possible for them to later on exhibit normal language development. Parents should be aware of normal language benchmarks, such as when a child begins babbling, imitating verbally, and using spoken and first words. If a child is lacking skills normally possessed by typically developing children, having said child

Autism affects 1 in every 110 children today (NICHCY, 2010). This statistic reveals a considerably large ratio of children and adults who have Autism. In society, everyone is diverse and unique in his or her own way. These differences are apparent in appearance, interest, and abilities. Differences are what shapes individuals into who they are, and who they want to become. Individuals learn differently, and the same is true for children with Autism. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects children up to three years and older. (Autism Speaks, N.D.)

In this book, “Helping children with autism learn: Treatment approaches for parents and professionals” Siegel gives parents of autistic children what they need most: hope. Siegel explains that how to take an inventory of a child particular disabilities that break down the various kinds unique to autism. Many other signs and symptoms are also seen in a child suffering from autism are atypical eating, lack of intuition and less attention to social stimuli. This book has been a great help in the research as it explains about the key understanding of each autism case as a discrete set of learning disabilities, each of which must be treated individually. This book is relevant to my research as it has important documentation and papers about the conference. It provides a detailed account of the issues, at the same time, Siegel offer a new understanding and a practical, thoughtful approach that will give parents a new hope.

Autism is a developmental disability that can affect both verbal and nonverbal communication and social interactions. Evidence of autism is generally seen before the age of 3 but one can also be diagnosed after this age. Some characteristics associated with autism are resistance to environmental change or change in routines, unusual responses to sensory experiences, engaging in repetitive activities, and stereotypical movements. These characteristics will affect a student’s educational performance. Close to 50 percent of children with autism do not speak at all, while others have echolalic speech (Houston-Wilson). Echolalic speech refers to a mimicked response. For example, when given a command the child may repeat the command word for word without comprehending what is being said. This type of communication may not be immediate. A child may recall a song from a movie he or she

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by qualitative impairments in social interaction and communication, and restricted, repetitive behavior (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2013), and is associated with impairments in executive functions. Autism Spectrum Disorder is also defined as a group of disorders that impair an individual’s ability to understand and engage in the give-and-take of social relationships. (Boyd, 2015) Autism is a well-known disability in the world today. Autism statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identify 1 in 68 American children on the Autism spectrum. There has been a prevalent increase in the cases of autism in the past 40 years. Over 3 million people in the United States alone are affected by autism. Government autism statistics suggest that the prevalence of autism has increased 10 to 17 percent annually in recent years. There is no established explanation for why there is such an increase in autism in the recent years, but more people being aware of it and environmental factors could be a factor to the increase. (Jenson, Steinhausen, Lauritsen. 2014)

Over this summer course I have learned a lot about communication. I learned how significant nonverbal and verbal communication is, along with listening. I never fully understood how big communication is in our daily lives. I now realize that it is a huge aspect of how we continue in our lives. This course has showed me different levels of communication.

Autism is a mental condition, present from early childhood, characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts (“Autism” Def). It’s a disability that affects a person’s communication skills and/or changes in behavior. Autism is usually diagnosed before three years of age and has a lifelong persistence. The causes of this disorder is unclear and there is currently no cure for it. There are two core characteristics of autism. The first being a deficiency in social communication and social interaction. The second is a restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. Clinical features of autism include walking on tiptoes, lack of eye contact, extreme dislike of certain foods or sounds, poor communication skills, repetitive behaviors, and

Body language, while easily overlooked as a means of communication, is used every day when people interact with one another. We interact beyond words by using what we call nonverbal signals. According to many experts in this field, such as James C. McCroskey and Virginia P. Richmond, the authors of Nonverbal Behavior in Interpersonal Relations, body language makes a huge difference in our daily communication. For example, the way we pose, the expressions on our face, and even the tone of our speech, which are all nonverbal communication methods, change the volume of speech and thus have various impacts on the overall communication. Almost half of our communications involves people’s use of body language to convey their thoughts, whether or not those happen unconsciously or consciously; understanding body language is very important for daily communication with one another. Since Eastern University is a small Christian college, students and professors have the opportunity to have better and intimate relationships with each other. Therefore, professors should not only use more efficient body languages to interact with students individually but also use various types of body language to improve class atmosphere. Furthermore, the use of body language can help international students have a better understanding of the American education system.

People with autism have a lifelong developmental condition that not only affects the way they relate to their environment and interaction with others, but also non-verbal interactions may be misread. (Autism Spectrum