Autism and Communication

Autism and Communication  

Autistic children and young people in the special school often experience communication challenges.  Many autistic children and young people have differences in attention, language development and interaction which can impact their time in school and at home. Most autistic children are gestalt language processors.  This means that they tend to process language in “chunks” or long scripts (echolalia), as opposed to single units.  Gestalt language processors require a different approach to traditional language therapy.   

This session will examine these differences in attention, language development and interaction.  Understanding differences in communication styles is important as autistic students are more likely to be successful communicators in environments that are designed to encourage and support their efforts.  

Participants will:  

• Understand autistic students’ differences in attention, language development and social interaction. 

• Reflect on their own interaction style and how this impacts the autistic young person.  

• Understand how to use engagement and child-led play as the starting point for communication. 

• Recognise that visual supports, as tools of communication with and for students, are critically important. 

• Recognise various forms of communication and use of a variety of communicative tools. 

• Gain ideas and practical strategies for making meaningful interactions with the student. 

Course Overview  

• Attention in autism and its importance as a foundation for communication. 

• Language development in autism. 

• Supporting engagement through child-led led play and interaction. 

• Supporting challenges in receptive (understanding) language. 

• A look at verbal and non-verbal forms of communication.