The North Carolina State Legislature's mandate to Division TEACCH has three major components. First, to provide the most up-to-date and cost­ effective services possible for families with autistic or similar language­ impaired children; second, to conduct research aimed toward the better under­ standing of such devastating disorders; and third, to provide training for the professionals needed to pursue these goals. One element in achieving these aims is to hold annual conferences on topics of special importance to the under­ standing and treatment of autism and similar disorders. In addition to training professionals and parents on the most recent de­ velopments in each conference topic, we are publishing a series, Current Issues in Autism, based on these conferences. These books are not, however, simply the published proceedings of the conference papers. Instead, some chapters are expanded conference presentations, whereas others come from national and in­ ternational experts whose work is beyond the scope of the conference, but es­ sential in our attempt at comprehensive coverage of the conference theme. These volumes are intended to provide the most current knowledge and profes­ sional practice available to us at the time.

Inhalt

I: Introduction.- 1 Introduction to Communication Problems in Autism.- II: Overview.- 2 Models of Child Language Development.- 3 Behavioral Approaches to Language and Communication.- 3A Contribution of Behavioral Approaches to the Language and Communication of Persons with Autism.- 4 Psycholinguistic Approaches to Language and Communication in Autism.- 4A Converging Perspectives in Psycholinguistics and Behaviorism.- III: Explanation of Language Problems.- 5 Prosodic Development in Normal and Autistic Children.- 6 Semantic Problems in Autistic Children.- 7 The Expressive Language Characteristics of Autistic Children Compared with Mentally Retarded or Specific Language-Impaired Children.- 8 Echolalia.- IV: Approaches to Intervention.- 9 The Teacch Communication Curriculum.- 10 Parents as Language Trainers of Children with Autism.- 11 Sign Language and Autism.- V: General Issues.- 12 Autism and the Comprehension of Language.- 13 Logico-Affective States and Nonverbal Language.- 14 Social Aspects of Communication in Children with Autism.