Communication Skills
Lord and Rutter (1994) estimated that approximately half of all children with autism fail to develop functional speech, with many of these children also demonstrating little to no receptive language skills. Howlin (1998) notes that children with autism make no attempt to develop alternative communication methods, such as eye contact or use of gesture, as they age. Furthermore, when children with autism do learn to talk, their receptive language skills are generally poorer than their expressive language skills. In particular, understanding abstract concepts is difficult for children with autism, and their interpretation of spoken language tends to be literal. Notably, the most significant feature of language impairment in autism is the lack of communication …show more content…
Language impairment in autism not only impacts on ability to communicate and interact in the social world, but also inherently manifests in an inability to develop normal,
Lord and Rutter (1994) estimated that approximately half of all children with autism fail to develop functional speech, with many of these children also demonstrating little to no receptive language skills. Howlin (1998) notes that children with autism make no attempt to develop alternative communication methods, such as eye contact or use of gesture, as they age. Furthermore, when children with autism do learn to talk, their receptive language skills are generally poorer than their expressive language skills. In particular, understanding abstract concepts is difficult for children with autism, and their interpretation of spoken language tends to be literal. Notably, the most significant feature of language impairment in autism is the lack of communication …show more content…
Language impairment in autism not only impacts on ability to communicate and interact in the social world, but also inherently manifests in an inability to develop normal,