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• Autism and Communication - The brain disorder autism begins in early childhood and persists throughout adulthood affecting three crucial areas of development: verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and creative or imaginative play.  Autism is the most common of a group of conditions called pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs). PDDs involve delays in many areas of childhood development. The first signs of autism are usually noticed by the age of three. Many individuals who are autistic also develop epilepsy, a brain disorder that causes convulsive seizures, as they approach adulthood. Other characteristics may include repetitive and ritualistic behaviors, hand flapping, spinning or running in circles, excessive fears, self-injury such as head banging or biting, aggression, insensitivity to pain, temper tantrums, and sleeping and eating disturbances. Autistic individuals live a normal life span, but most require lifelong care and supervision.

• Criteria for Determining Disability in Speech-Language Disorders - Approximately 42 million people (1 in 6) in the United States have some type of communication disorder. Of these, 28 million have communication disorders associated with hearing loss, and 14 million have disorders of speech, voice, and/or language not associated with hearing loss. The personal and societal costs of these disorders are high. On a personal level, such disorders may affect nearly every aspect of daily life. Estimates of annual societal costs in the United States range from $30 billion to $154 billion in lost productivity, special education, and medical costs.  Over the last several decades, researchers and clinicians have developed a vast array of assessment instruments for speech, voice, and language; one source reviewing commercially available assessment instruments includes more than 140 tools in its most recent edition. Important clinical decisions follow from the assessment of a person with a communication disorder. These clinical decisions affect an individual's access to services and funding (e.g., eligibility for special education services, third-party payer coverage of treatment, and Social Security disability income).

• Comprehensive Speech and Language Treatment for Infants, Toddlers, and Children with Down Syndrome - The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Public Law 94-142) was passed in 1975 and resulted in special education services in separate classrooms as the model for helping children with disabilities. The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) became the blueprint for each child's educational program for the school year. The law has been amended and renewed to the present day. The most recent legislation is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA 97).  The important ramifications of IDEA for communication in school-age children are that speech-language pathology is a related service and is based on a remediation model. Related services are developmental, corrective, and other supportive services, as may be required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes the early identification and assessment of disabling conditions in children. A remediation model means that the child receives services only when there is a documented problem based on test results, in order to address that problem. With inclusion becoming more common and the regular education initiative, the child's needs for speech-language pathology services may be greater, and the goals may be higher.