The early stages of linguistic and social interaction are crucial in the development of every child, but particularly in children with autism. This work shows how a range of social and environmental influences may significantly affect these children, including classroom management, levels of motivation and interaction with adults and other children. From their clinical, practical and classroom research, the authors show how the communication skills of children with autism can be helped by the skilful use of an integrated range of strategies and approaches. As well as providing an overview of the major theoretical issues involved, this volume also provides practical ways of modifying unhelpful environments in order to enhance communication skills. The authors argue that encouraging spontaneous communication should be viewed as a major educational goal and that children with minimal or no speech can and do communicate when they have access to enabling environments.
