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  • © 2016

Prelinguistic and Minimally Verbal Communicators on the Autism Spectrum

  • Adopts a uniquely multidisciplinary perspective essential to effective interventions for some of the most professionally challenging individuals with ASD
  • Lifespan perspective covers children, youth and adults on the autism spectrum
  • Includes sections on translating research into practice, detailing the implications of research findings for educators and clinicians and offering them guidance on how to incorporate the most recent research and evidence in their own work
  • Written by internationally recognized and distinguished scholars who have made significant and lasting contributions to this field
  • International team of contributors

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Table of contents (11 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xviii
  2. Prelinguistic Communication Development

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
    2. Introduction to Prelinguistic and Minimally Verbal Communicators on the Autism Spectrum

      • Deb Keen, Hedda Meadan, Nancy C. Brady, James W. Halle
      Pages 3-7
    3. Prelinguistic Communication Development

      • Elizabeth Crais, Billy T. Ogletree
      Pages 9-32
    4. Prelinguistic Communication and Joint Attention

      • Barbara Braddock, Nancy C. Brady
      Pages 33-49
  3. Assessment of Prelinguistic and Minimally Verbal Communication

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 73-73
    2. Standardized Assessment of Prelinguistic Communication

      • David Trembath, Teresa Iacono
      Pages 75-100
    3. Individualized Assessment of Prelinguistic Communication

      • Nancy C. Brady, Deb Keen
      Pages 101-119
    4. Functional Assessment of Problematic Forms of Prelinguistic Behavior

      • Jeff Sigafoos, Mark F. O’Reilly, Giulio E. Lancioni, Amarie Carnett, Alicia Bravo, Laura Rojeski et al.
      Pages 121-145
  4. Interventions for Prelinguistic and Minimally Verbal Communicators

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 147-147
    2. Social Communication Interventions

      • Stephanie Shire, Connie Kasari, Ann P. Kaiser, Elizabeth Fuller
      Pages 149-177
    3. Augmentative and Alternative Communication Applications for Persons with ASD and Complex Communication Needs

      • Joe Reichle, Jennifer Ganz, Kathryn Drager, Quannah Parker-McGowan
      Pages 179-213
    4. Parent Involvement in Communication Interventions

      • Hedda Meadan, Deb Keen
      Pages 215-230
    5. Translating Research to Practice in Prelinguistic Communication

      • Deb Keen, Jessica Paynter, David Trembath, Kate Simpson
      Pages 231-250
  5. Back Matter

    Pages 251-260

About this book

This book draws on contemporary theory and recent findings to provide researchers, professionals, undergraduate and graduate students with essential resources, allowing them to better understand and support children, youth and adults with autism and significant communication impairments. 
The book consists of 11 chapters organized into 3 sections detailing typical and atypical prelinguistic development for individuals on the autism spectrum, together with a range of assessment and intervention approaches that clinicians and educators can draw on in practice. The book adopts a lifespan perspective, recognizing that there is an important and particularly challenging sub-group of children on the spectrum who remain minimally verbal beyond the age of 8 years. 
Each chapter summarizes current research on a selected topic, identifies key challenges faced by researchers, educators and clinicians, and considers the implications for research and practice. Theconcluding chapter considers issues of research translation and how educators and clinicians can encourage the use of evidence-based practices for prelinguistic and minimally verbal individuals.

Editors and Affiliations

  • Schl of Educational and Profess Studies, Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia

    Deb Keen

  • Department of Special Education, University of Illinois, Champaign, USA

    Hedda Meadan, James W. Halle

  • University of Kansas, Department of Speech Language Hearing Sc, Lawrence, USA

    Nancy C. Brady

About the editors

Deb Keen is a Professor of Education with the Autism Centre of Excellence in the School of Education and Professional Studies at Griffith University, Brisbane, Australia. She has published extensively on her research into ways to enhance participation and engagement of individuals with autism and their families in home, school, and community. She is particularly interested in evidence-based practice, communication, problem behavior, early intervention, and family-centered practice.
Hedda Meadan is an associate professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a board-certified behavior analyst. Her areas of interest include social communication skills of young children with autism and other developmental disabilities, intervention methods to enhance these spheres of functioning, and families of individuals with disabilities.
Nancy Brady is an associate professor at the Department of Speech Language Hearing Sciences and Disorders, University of Kansas. She is an ASHA fellow and past chair of the National Joint Committee on Communication Needs of Persons with Severe Disabilities (NJC). Her current research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is focused on improving assessments for expressive communication in individuals with minimal verbal skills associated with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and on longitudinal analyses of development in fragile X syndrome. 
Jim Halle is a professor emeritus in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. For more than 40 years, he has been involved in research related to communication and language development among children with autism and other developmental disabilities. His program of research has focused on examining both social communication of young children with significant intellectual disability and the ecological factors that facilitate and discourage communicative growth. His methodological and conceptual approach is characterized by single-case research and applied behavior analysis.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Prelinguistic and Minimally Verbal Communicators on the Autism Spectrum

  • Editors: Deb Keen, Hedda Meadan, Nancy C. Brady, James W. Halle

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-0713-2

  • Publisher: Springer Singapore

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science and Psychology, Behavioral Science and Psychology (R0)

  • Copyright Information: Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-10-0711-8Published: 13 May 2016

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-981-10-9233-6Published: 27 May 2018

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-10-0713-2Published: 05 May 2016

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XVIII, 260

  • Number of Illustrations: 2 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Child and School Psychology, Social Work, Educational Psychology, Literacy

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access