Perkins School for the Blind Transition Center

Posts Tagged ‘spring 2019 issue’

There’s More to Communication than Language, Grammar, and Vocabulary

Autism, in the general sense, is often defined as a disorder involving deficits of communication. This is certainly true for nonverbal autistics, as well as for those who cannot be “reached” even though they are capable of expressing speech. What about those autistics who are fully verbal and...

Tech Startup Daivergent Turns to AHRC NYC to Fill Jobs with People on the Autism Spectrum

Leon Campbell says he is patient, attentive, and devoted to details. “I always make sure my work is accurate within the confines of the rules that are given to me,” he explains. Leon works on “all manner of things with data—extracting it from online sources and promptly putting it in other...

What NOT to Say…

It’s easy to say the wrong thing to someone, even when you have the best of intentions. Everyone has done it, and whether you realize it yourself or someone points it out to you, mistakes like these don’t feel good. All of us learn social and communication skills from many sources, including...

Introducing the Use of Behavior Skills Training to Achieve Staff Proficiency in the Use of PECS

Learning to communicate using speech and language is one of the primary tasks for young children. When delays are observed in language acquisition, they are considered one of the earliest indicators of developmental deficits that could potentially lead to social, behavioral, and academic...

Researchers Explore Virtual Reality to Build Crucial Social and Safety Skills

Those in the autism community are familiar with missed social connections, but misunderstood behaviors have the potential to escalate quickly during interactions with law enforcement. A recent study1 found that 1 in 5 young adults with ASD will be stopped and questioned by police before age 21 and...

A Group-Format Parent Training Program to Improve Communication Skills in Young Children with ASD

The first few years of life are an important period for communication and language development. Even before the emergence of spoken language, typically-developing children engage in communicative interchanges with caregivers through gaze, directed facial expressions, gestures, and vocalizations....

Learning the Powerful Language of Inclusion: A Mother’s Journey to Acceptance and Hope

This article on inclusion was developed from three major strands. First, the document’s inception originated from the author’s experience as an early-childhood special educator, a parent, and an administrator working with families. Second, the background came from the writer’s qualitative...

Communication Challenges in College Students with ASD

In addition to the typical challenges faced by young adults pursuing post-secondary education, those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis face unique challenges related to deficits in social communication. These include deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, such as taking turns in a...

Three Strategies to Strengthen Communication for Adults with Autism and Learning Differences

Communication is an essential skill that contributes to success with relationships. Individuals with ASD particularly focus on growth in their communicative skills for a majority of their lives. With young adulthood comes the combination of self-identity development and the presentation of more...

Partnering with Your Child’s Doctor to Navigate the Special Needs World

We all want the best medical care for our children, and a crucial part of obtaining proper care is finding a doctor who is knowledgeable, experienced and compassionate. Partnering with the right doctor is especially important for children with special needs, who often require more frequent doctor...