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About the Author |
| Mary Jane Weiss is a behavior analyst who has worked in the autism field over 25 years. Her clinical and research interests center on the identification of best practices for teaching learners with autism, on facilitating family coping and adaptation, and teaching and training in ABA. She is the author of several articles and books, co-author of Woodbine House books Right from the Start (2007) and Reaching Out, Joining In (2001), and a regular presenter at regional and national conferences.
Valbona Demiri is Assistant Director of Outreach Services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, where she oversees the Early Intervention Program. Her professional interests include diagnostic assessments and language and social skills development in very young children. She presents at local and national conferences. |
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When children's communication skills lag, all areas of learning and socialization are affected. Jumpstarting Communication Skills in Children with Autism describes how an ABA approach can help children age 2-10 who have significant communication problems—difficulty making requests, perseverative speech, a lack of fluency in conversational exchanges, trouble reading others' signals, and more—learn to understand and use speech and language.
Enriched by case studies, this straightforward and information-packed book examines using the Applied Verbal Behavior (AVB) method to tackle a wide variety of communication problems typical of children with autism. In a nutshell, AVB consists of observing and analyzing a child's communication behaviors, breaking them down into functions, and then teaching and reinforcing needed skills.
AVB strategies and the other methods profiled (PECS, sign language, video modeling, scripts, social stories, etc.) can greatly boost a child's understanding of verbal and nonverbal communication, and help him improve his expressive abilities. The authors provide helpful suggestions on how parents can support this process and teach and reinforce communication skills at home.
With Jumpstarting Communication Skills in Children with Autism parents and professionals can help young kids, both those with and without speech, expand their communication abilities and opportunities, enabling greater inclusion and progress in daily activities.
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