ABSTRACT
Autism spectrum disorders are a group of developmental disorders that are characterized by deficits in social communication and restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviors or interests. The best approach for determining cognitive and linguistic deficits specific to autism is to focus on the higher-functioning subgroup of individuals with autism spectrum disorders. More than 75% of verbal children with autism demonstrate echolalia, the repetition of what has been said by someone else. Semantic problems have been noted in children with autism at the earliest stages of language acquisition. The first words acquired by children with autism are generally names for concrete objects such as cookie and car. The weak central coherence theory provides insight into the learning styles of individuals with autism and in turn could help inform teachers and clinicians working with adult population. The use of augmentative/alternative communication to support the speech-language development in autism has been found to be effective.
