SENDING A MESSAGE INTO OUTERSPACE : Communication Between Nonverbal, Intellectually Disabled Adults with ASD, and the People Around Them.

Abstract:

Very little information exists regarding the communication ofnonverbal adults with severe Intellectual Disabilities(ID) and Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD). Most research in this area pertains to children. This study poses the following questions: “Howdononverbal, intellectually disabled adults who haveASD and those people who have contact with them on a regular day-to-day basis communicate with each other? What enhancesand or strengthens this communication? Can positive development in communication occur?”Based upon the data retrieved from eleven interviews, portraits of the communicative relationships of nonverbal adults with ID and ASDand their caregivers were compiled. The results of the study confirmed the existence of a personalized, functional system of communication between nonverbal adults with severe ID and ASD and their caregivers. The information gathered revealed improvement in communication. It was discovered, moreover, that a key factor in communicative development was the creation of common conceptual ground between caregiver and service user. Several attitudes and behaviors on the part of caregivers were noted to increase this common conceptual ground. The study’s conclusion cites the limitations, in methodology and scope, of the current investigation, and calls for more wide-ranging research on the communication of nonverbal adults with ID and ASD.