Environmental Supports to Enhance Social-Communication

ABSTRACT

“Environmental support” is a general term used to define the systematic use of explicit visual and/or social cues to clarify meaning for children with autism. Environmental supports can serve as a compensatory means to structure and enhance language understanding, social engagement, and social-communicative interactions. The unique and atypical developmental patterns associated with autism provide the rationale for the use of two environmental supports: visually cued instruction and modified sociolinguistic input. Using empirical research, multiple examples of environmental supports to enhance social-communication are provided.

KEY WORDS

autism - communication - instruction