ASD 641 : COMM, LANG, & SENSORY ASPECTS: ASD

This graduate course provides students with an overview of typical language acquisition and development as compared with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  The course emphasizes the visual aspects of language learning as well as the notion of “communication as behavior” and addresses the role of assistive and augmentative communication technologies to support individuals on the Spectrum.  Additionally, this course introduces students to the common sensory integration issues often associated with Autism.  The course provides classroom strategies for supporting individualized sensory and communication needs of children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder, including an introduction to applied behavioral analysis techniques used for language development and collaboration with families and related service providers, as well as focusing on the importance of teaching skill-generalization across multiple settings and situations. This course is offered at the GR and UG level; students enrolled in GR level versions of this course will expect more readings and assignments and are held to higher expectations in terms of rigor and magnitude of expected output to demonstrate mastery.