Communication Issues in Autism and Asperger Syndrome: Do We Speak the Same Language?

by Olga Bogdashina

Providing a theoretical foundation for understanding communication and language impairments specific to autism, Olga Bogdashina explores the effects of different perceptual and cognitive styles on the communication and language development of autistic children. She stresses the importance of identifying each autistic individual's nonverbal language with a view to establish a shared means of verbal communication. She offers an explanation of why certain approaches, for example PECS, might work with some autistic children but not others. Offering real in-sights, the 'What They Say' sections enable the reader to see through the eyes of autistic indi-viduals and to understand their language differences first hand. 'What We Can Do to Help' sections throughout the book give practical recommenda-tions on what to do in order to help autistic individuals use their natural mechanisms to learn and develop social and communicative skills.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Psychology, Nonfiction, Communication

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Rosemary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book stands out from the pack for its range of insights from people with autism. It is more in-depth than "Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism" by Barry Prizant, a lighter book in a similar vein.

Each chapter has one or more "What they say" sections, with quotes from books written by adults with autism containing such gems as "If I know that I do not understand people and I devote all this energy and effort to figuring them out, do I have more or less empathy than people who not only do not understand me, but who do not even notice that they do not understand me? (Sinclair 1989)" (p.191, with regard to Theory of Mind).

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic read. I highly recommend it if you're autistic and curious about the workings of your own brain, interact with an autistic person, or are just curious.