Individuals with Asperger Syndrome (AS) often face difficulties in social communication and language skills, encompassing comprehension and production in both their first and second languages. English as a second language has been one of the most common communication tools and a school subject for decades in Asia; therefore, mastering English…

Whether a second language is learned as a child, teenager, or as an adult, second language acquisition research has noted certain patterns that can help ESL/EFL teachers prepare their lessons. This book explains these issues including the three essential components of ESL/EFL students' learning: input, output, and interaction. Learn how material…

This edited book explores the integration of technology into English language education, with a particular focus on extracurricular and extramural contexts. The editors and an international team of scholars discuss how English teachers can critically and systematically design and implement language activities inside and outside the classroom to…

A hallmark of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is difficulties with social communication, and some learners with ASD experience additional deficits in expressive and/or receptive language that impair their ability to interact with others. However, a strength observed in many learners with ASD is responding to visual cues and structure. The use of…

"Specific Learning Disability" is by far the largest category of conditions served in special education. Unfortunately, few parents (and educators) really understand what learning disabilities are. Many erroneously believe it is a "politically correct" term for "mildly mentally retarded" or "dull normal." Further, while most laypeople have heard…

The handbook, intended for use as a guide for special education teachers, presents an overview of language arts and communication skills. Instructional considerations and teaching ideas (objectives and activities) are presented for three major types of skills: (1) receptive language arts (listening skills, reading, phonics, sight vocabulary,…

The article describes a series of 10 games designed to improve the communication skills of pupils with severe learning difficulties. The games encourage attention development, initiating comments, and giving and receiving instructions. (DB)

Thirty-five students (age 5-21) with mental retardation completed a 10-lesson curriculum on verbal and signed vocabulary acquisition. Therapist only and therapist plus video methods resulted in higher spoken and manual sign production of targeted items compared to the video only method. Receptive vocabulary was not improved. (Author/JDD)

Stories were read daily at school and home to 32 children, aged 3-10, with severe learning difficulties. After eight months, almost all of the children showed improvements in verbal comprehension greater than gains of a comparison group, and the older children showed improvements in verbal expression. (Author/JDD)

The book summarizes the current state of knowledge concerning language development in children with Down Syndrome (DS). The first chapter reviews language development in normal children, noting such stages as gestures, first sounds, development of understanding, first spoken words, and the two-word stage. The next chapter examines language skills…

The basic special education curriculum of the Department of Public Instruction of Puerto Rico is designed so that the skills defined can be used to attend to the needs of children with disabilities. This teacher's guide, in Spanish, presents a basic language curriculum to help the child develop the ability to communicate effectively. It includes…

Communication is essential in each and every sphere of life, and is considered the fundamental social process because human beings interact with each other through communication in social settings. Classrooms have their own social settings in which teachers and students interact. During interaction, the main purpose of the teacher is to…

The School and Home Enrichment Program for Severely Handicapped Children includes 332 activities. Focus is on the development of sensory responsiveness, eating skills, fine motor skills, gross motor skills, expressive language, receptive language, personal hygiene, dressing, and social interaction that can be used by parents or teachers as a…

Intended for use in Florida training programs for caregivers of infants and toddlers with disabilities, this guide presents an overview of the Model of Interdisciplinary Training for Children with Handicaps (MITCH); provides a user's guide to the series; and presents specific information for presenting Module 2, which focuses on speech and…

"Malik Goes to School: Examining the Language Skills of African American Students From Preschool-5th Grade" synthesizes a decade of research by the authors, Holly Craig and Julie Washington, on the oral language and literacy skills of African American children from preschool to fifth grade. Their research has characterized significant influences…