ABSTRACT
This chapter presents some of the research findings concerning the group of children diagnosed autistic. It argues that some of these findings might prove of interest to teachers and others working in day-to-day situations with these children. The chapter aims to encourage communication and co-operation between teachers and research workers in the field. Teachers need, therefore, to some extent to be patient with research. Researchers are dealing with real children, just as teachers are, even though the rather dry ‘scientific’ language of research reports may tend to conceal this fact. In phasing out problem behaviours in autistic children there is a constant need to search for behaviours of a more appropriate kind to fill the ‘available behaviour space’. The establishing of a new behaviour in autistic children is often much more difficult than the elimination of disturbed behavior. Autistic children who are over-excited in the way make odd noises such as moaning, whining or roaring.
