ABSTRACT
Communication allows us to make our wants and needs known and to share our feelings, thoughts and ideas with others. It is what helps us to learn from relationships and make connections with the world around us and the people in it. Every pupil or young person with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will have some degree of difficulty with communication. Processing and using verbal communication involves: The ability to understand the literal and non-literal meanings behind spoken words and ideas, the ability to express our ideas with spoken words and to speak each word clearly, the skills involved in verbal interaction with others such as continuing the topic, monitoring topic shift and conversational repair. Interpreting and using non-verbal communication involves: Understanding and using facial expression, having the ability to take turns in social activities and conversations.
