Evidence-Based Treatments in Communication for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
摘要
This chapter considers treatments that enhance the ability of children on the autism spectrum to communicate and use language. Since impairments in social communication and social interaction constitute a core feature of autism and represent an aspect of function in which all children on the spectrum experience challenges, most children with autism will require some form of communicative intervention. Moreover, communication is vital for learning and establishing connections with others, and difficulties with communication limit opportunities for play, socialization, academic achievement, and integration with peers not on the spectrum. Thus, interventions aimed at facilitating and supporting communication for those on the autism spectrum are crucial to success in school programs and the ability to adapt to real world communication expectations. In considering interventions that facilitate and support communication, and the evidence that supports them, this chapter focuses on the prelinguistic, early language and basic to advanced developmental language periods.