Communication

Abstract

Communication disorders are common among people with intellectual disabilities. Consequently, enhancing the communication skills of such individuals is a major intervention priority. This chapter reviews the nature and prevalence of the speech, language, and communication problems associated with intellectual disability, including consideration of (a) fluency/articulation problems, (b) receptive language deficits, and (c) expressive disorders. Assessment approaches include the use of (a) general measures of adaptive behavior functioning, (b) communication-specific measures, and (c) non-standardized assessments of prelinguistic communication. The strengths and limitations of each of these approaches are outlined. A range of treatment approaches have been studied to address the myriad of communication problems associated with intellectual disabilities. The treatment approaches reviewed in this chapter include (a) imitation training, (b) stimulus-stimulus pairing, (c) fluency training, (d) the cues-pause-point procedure, (e) milieu therapy, (f) functional communication training, and (g) augmentative and alternative communication. The indications for, and efficacy of, each of these approaches are reviewed. Based on this research review, a four-step process is described to facilitate the translation of research into effective clinical practice. The process consists of (a) constructing a clinical question, (b) locating relevant studies, (c) appraising the evidence, and (d) applying the evidence. Effective translation of research to clinical practice is an important part of communication assessment and intervention processes for persons with intellectual disabilities.