Autism and Communication

Autism and communication are linked in many ways. There is more to autism than many know and there is continuous research to find the link between the two and how to help break the barriers of communication for those with autism. This paper is organized to define autism, explain the social and communication barriers it causes, what tools and devices can be used to help with communication, how is autism going to affect their future, and as an outsider what areas and knowledge can we use to help break down the barrier.

Autism can be defined as a disorder of neural development that is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by repetitive and restricted behavior beginning in early childhood. Autism is also known as a Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PPD). The first signs of autism are usually noticed by the age of three. The signs can include but are not limited to temper tantrums, biting, aggression, spinning or running in circles, excessive fears, and self-injury.

The communication abilities of a child with autism vary according to age and cognitive level. Expressive and receptive language is the highest affected with this disorder. About 50 percent of children with autism acquire the ability to communicate, and 25 percent of those who do so develop basic and abnormal verbal and nonverbal communication (Ferrand et al., 1997) It addition about half of all autistic children are said to be mute.

There are many barriers that a child with autism is going to have to overcome such as being able to communicate and interact socially with the world effectively. In addition to those barrier others include

Autism is going to cause many issues in life as the child grows up and goes through the different stages of life. Without being able to communicate effectively how is one supposed to function in our everyday world?