Assessment and Intervention Issues with the Nonspeaking Child

Many children who are unable to communicate orally now have new opportunities available to them due to technological advances in the development of augmentative communication systems. Communication aids that enhance social/communicative interaction are being designed for even the most severely physically disabled children. In spite of these developments, many problems still exist in the qualitative aspects of communication that affect both speaker and listener roles. This article addresses some of the primary problems in augmentative communication systems and aids from an interdisciplinary assessment/intervention model.