Main description:

Communication in Autism adopts a multidisciplinary approach to explore one of the most common developmental disorders associated with communication impairment. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about communication in autism is that variation is as extreme as it could possibly be. While some individuals with autism have age-appropriate language, a number have exceptional language skills; others have little or no spoken language. In between these extremes are individuals who experience significant linguistic impairments. These impairments can affect peer relations and literacy skills. The chapters in this volume provide comprehensive coverage of both the theoretical underpinnings and the practical aspects of autistic communication. The result is a volume that showcases the wide range of methodologies being used in this field of research. It is invaluable for scientists, service providers, parents, individuals with autism, and students learning about communication and autism (e.g., in psychology, speech pathology, and education).

Contents:

1. An introduction to communication in autism: Current findings and future directions (by Arciuli, Joanne); 2. Section 1: Symbolic communication; 3. Chapter 1. Prelinguistic communication (by Keen, Deb); 4. Chapter 2. Facilitating emergent verbal repertoires in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disorders: Insights from behaviour analysis (by May, Richard J.); 5. Section 2: Oral language; 6. Chapter 3. Echolalia and language development in children with autism (by Roberts, Jacqueline M.A.); 7. Chapter 4. Do autism spectrum disorders and specific language impairment have a shared aetiology?: A review of the evidence (by Taylor, Lauren J.); 8. Chapter 5. Prosody and autism (by Arciuli, Joanne); 9. Section 3: Literacy; 10. Chapter 6. Reading for sound and reading for meaning in autism: Frith and Snowling (1983) revisited (by Brock, Jon); 11. Chapter 7. Language and literacy subtypes in young children with a high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (by Jacobs, Diane); 12. Section 4: Complex language skills; 13. Chapter 8. The use of narrative in studying communication in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A review of methodologies and findings (by Stirling, Lesley); 14. Chapter 9. Using conversational structure as an interactional resource: Children with Asperger's syndrome and their conversational partners (by Rendle-Short, Johanna); 15. Section 5: Distal causes of language impairment; 16. Chapter 10. Atypical cerebral lateralisation and language impairment in autism: Is fetal testosterone the linking mechanism? (by Hollier, Lauren P.); 17. Index