Improving the Communication Abilities of all Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

We have developed Communication Guidelines and Resources to support educational team members in enhancing the communication abilities of students with ASD and to create lifelong learners. The Communication Guidelines and Resources are designed to:

• Enhance understanding of what communication is,
• Enhance understanding of why communication is important, and
• Advance expectations, knowledge, and skills related to communication based assessments, strategies, and supports.

The Communication Guidelines and Resources specifically target the following areas:

1. How to identify appropriate communication goals through informal and formal assessments,
2. How to enhance the communication abilities of students by expanding the functions of his/her communication,
3. How to ensure every student has an individualized, long term mode of communication by identifying an appropriate system which may include the implementation of Augmentative and Alternative Communication,
4. How to implement evidence-based strategies and supports, and
5. How to ensure the educational team has developed a systematic plan for enhancing communication capabilities.

*As our work progresses with this project, and as resources are identified and developed, we will update the contents of this page. Please check back regularly for updates.

To enhance the communication skills of students with ASD, first learn more about the foundational principles of communication and why it is important to teach communication by clicking on the boxes below:

Now that you know more about the importance of teaching communication, learn how to support your students to build these skills!