Communication disorders can often occur as a result of, or in combination with, other disorders/disabilities. One such disability is Autism. Children on the Autism spectrum often experience deviant or delayed speech and language skills (Charlop). While the amount of communication varies for each child (ranging from nonverbal to fully capable of speaking in depth), many children with autism have a very difficult time expressing themselves through expressive language and verbal communication. Nearly 50% of children with autism will remain mute and many children with autism lack social skills (Charlop). Having a nonverbal child can be incredibly challenging. Not only is it difficult to meet your child’s needs, it can also be difficult to bond with a child who does not communicate or show affection. Children with autism often display frustration and problem behaviors as a result of not being understood and/or listened to. For parents of children with autism, learning to communicate effectively is crucial. I found an interesting article called Learn to Speak Your Autistic Child’s Language that describes ways that parents can effectively communicate with their children on the autism spectrum and ways to teach their children how to better communicate. The article states that children with autism attend heavily to shapes and pictures and that it is best to communicate with children with autism visually. This means drawing pictures, pointing, and writing sentences whenever possible. The article also encourages parents to allow children with autism to communicate visually with them through pointing, drawing, or even typing. The article suggests using highly visual imagery when talking to children with autism. For example if you want them to eat their breakfast, instead of saying “Come eat your breakfast” it is better to say “I want to see your bottom in the kitchen chair so that you can look at your cereal as you eat it”. Children with autism are usually very literal and have a hard time picking up on emotions and subtle gestures. For this reason, it is best to be very literal and direct with your child. Telling a child with autism to "get on their coat" could result in the child literally standing on his/her coat. Instead it would be best to say, "Please put your coat on your body so that you will not be cold outside".

In general, parents of children with autism need patience and an understanding of how their child’s brain works. Even if your child cannot or does not use verbal language, you can still communicate with your child in other ways and teach him/her how to express themselves. The article I read can be found at http://www.everydayhealth.com/autism/learn-the-language.aspx. I think speaking to children with autism visually is a great strategy that could be beneficial for many children, parents, teachers, and other professionals working with children with autism. I am going to continue looking for other communication strategies/techniques for children with Autism this week as well.