Autism and Communication
COMSC 712 Checklist Information

What is autism?
Threshold, Inc.
How does autism affect communication?

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Knowledge = Empowerment
 
Everyone is entitled to quality of life, inner strength, confidence, and the ability to communicate as effectively as possible.

Autism is a developmental disability, resulting from a neurological disorder. Autism affects communication and symptoms typically appear by the time the child is three years old.  Autism is also known as a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD). Other disorders which fall under this category are Asperger's Syndrome, Rett's Disorder, and "disintegrative psychosis of childhood" (Ferrand & Bloom, 1997).
 
The communication abilities of a person with autism varies according to cognitive level and age. Expressive and receptive language, as well as pragmatics are affected. Around 50 percent of children with autism acquire the ability to communicate, and 25 percent of those who do, develop basic/abnormal verbal and nonverbal communication (Ferrand et al., 1997). Also, about "half of all autistic children are functionally mute" (Rutter, 1968). The degree of impairment of communication also varies.
 
There are many common characteristics of autism, although not all individuals who have autism exhibit all of them at once. Each characteristic or trait can be either mild or severe. A child with autism may exhibit the following characteristics:

PRAGMATIC / SOCIAL INTERACTION

  • poor eye contact
  • tantrums
  • difficulty with gross/fine motor skills
  • inappropriate laughing
  • difficulty with change (prefer routines)
  • prefer inanimate objects
  • difficulty with peer relationships
  • does not want to be touched, hugged, etc. (prefers no physical affection)

VERBAL AND NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION

  • echolalia
  • difficulty understanding facial expressions and body language
  • difficutly with intonation (prosodic cues)
  • abnormal speech production
  • not responsive to verbal cues (Autism Society of America)
  • voice problems (hypo- or hypernasality) (Baltaxe & Simmons, 1981a)
  • Apraxia of Speech - the inability to plan speech movements
  • difficulty with meanings, prepositions, verbs, adjectives

Echolalia is a repetition of speech, consisting of complete or partial repetition of what the child has heard. It generally has no communication intent, and is also referred to as "parroting of speech" (Reed, 1994). However, there are some individuals with autism who use echolalia as a form of interactive communication. The repetition of speech is a noticeable characteristic that has been found to help aid in language acquisition (Baltaxe & Simmons, 1975; Prizant, 1983; Schuler & Prizant, 1985).

There are also various associated symptoms/problems in children with autism that should be taken into consideration when assessing and/or treating the child (i.e., behavior intervention, speech-language therapy, etc.) which are:

  • mental retardation - approximately three quarters of all children with autism indicate a moderate level of retardation (IQ 35-49)
  • motor behavior deficits - poor coordination of limbs, body posture, motor apraxia and apraxia of speech
  • unusual sensory behavior - hypersensitivity/hyposensitivity
  • hearing loss - middle ear pressure (negative) more common in children with autims, thus resulting in more frequent cases of otitis media
  • seizures - about one third develp epilepsy
  • Fragile X Syndrome - higher than normal prevalence of the syndrome compared to children who are not autistic (Reed, 1994)

What causes autism?

In most cases, the cause of autism is thought to be idiopathic. There are no concrete etiologies that explain the cause of the disorder. Although, there are deficits in the brain (neurophysiological) that are linked to the behaviors common to children with autism. Scientists have theorized certain areas of the brain to be dysfunctional, such as:

  1. areas of the "limbic system responsible for arousal, attention, and motor responsiveness (Maurer & Damasio, 1982)
  2. areas of the cerebellum (Courchesne, 1987)
  3. parts of the cortical and subcortical areas responsible for attachment and social behavior (Fein, Pennington, Markowitz, Braverman, & Waterhouse, 1986)
  4. and neuromotor systems underlying voluntary or intentional movement (Biklen, 1990a)

It is important for Speech-Language Pathologists to understand autism and know the various interventions in order to facilitate communication.  Many behavioral problems evidenced in children with autism are a result of the inability to express his/her wants and needs, likes and dislikes, etc.  An increase in communication skills (verbal or nonverbal) will influence behavior, confidence, social interactions, and learning.

 

 
 
 

Autism Society of America

References:

Baltaxe, C., & Simmons, J. Q. (1981a). Disorders
    of language in childhood pscychosis: Current
    concepts and approaches. In J. Darby (ed.).,
    Speech evaluation in psychiatry (pp. 285-328).
    New York: Grune & Stratton.
 
Biklen, D. (1990a). Communication unbound:
    Autism and praxis. Harvard Educational
    Review, 60, 291-317.
 
Courchesne, E. (1987). A neurophysiological
    view of autism. In E. Schopler & G. B. Mesibov
    (eds.)., Neurobiological issues in autism
    (pp. 285-324). New York: Plenum Press.
 
Fein, D., Pennington, B., Markowitz, P.,
    Braverman, M., & Waterhouse, L. (1986).
    Toward a neurophysiological model of infantile
    autism: Are the social deficits primary? Journal
    of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 25,
    198-212.
 
Ferrand, C. T., & Bloom, R. L. (1997). Introduction
    to organic and  neurogenic disorders of
    communication: Current scope of practice.
    Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
 
Maurer, R. G., & Damasio, A. R. (1982).
    Childhood autism from the point of view of
    behavioral neurology. Journal of Autism and
    Developmental Disorders, 12, 195-205.
 
Prizant, B. M. (1983). Language acquisition and
    communication behavior. Toward and
    understanding of the 'whole of it.' Journal of
    Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 7(2),
    121-134.
 
Rutter, M. (1968). Language disorder and infantile
    autism. In M. Rutter and E. Schopler (eds.).,
    Autism: A reppraisal of concepts and treatment.
    New York: Plenum Press.
 
Reed, V. A. (1994). An introduction to children with
    language disorders. New York: Macmillan
    College.
 
ELECTRONIC REFERENCE:
 
Autism Society of America (n.d.). Retrieved
    October 12, 2002, from
 
Threshold Inc. (n.d.). Retrieved October 12, 2002,
    from
 
Title picture courtesy of Threshold, Inc.
Distress picture courtesy of Autism Society of America
 
 
 
 

HOT LINKS!!
 
Autism Society of America
 
Asperger's Syndrome
 
Dyslexia
 
Hyperlexia
 
Pervasive Developmental Disorders
 
Retts Syndrome
 
 
 
 
 

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