Autism is a neurological disorder that interferes with normal development of the brain in the areas of communication, reasoning, and social interaction. Characteristics of autism are usually observed during the first three years of life. Autism is more prevalent in boys than in girls and knows no racial, ethnic, or social boundaries.

Although there is no "cure" for autism, individuals with autism can learn, maintain employment, go to college, and have friends.

For More Information
1-800-3AUTISM

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http://www.autism-society.org/
http://www.ucf-card.org/

Speech/Language Therapy

Speech/Language Therapy assists children with communication disorders access the general curriculum. We support grade level expectations and benchmarks in the context of language and articulation development. Children in therapy are building these language skills:

Receptive language- Receptive language is hearing words and being able to understand what they mean. In a conversation we must be able to decode and understand the message being sent, or the conversation stops. Through conversation a child hears new words and new ways to put words into sentences. This builds receptive language, increasing the child's understanding of language.

Expressive language- Expressive language is talking. It takes practice to become a good talker, to be able to say what we mean so that others can understand our message. As children participate in conversations, they practice using the words and phrases they have learned through receptive language.

Rules of conversation- We don't think about the rules of conversation, but we automatically follow them. We look at someone who's talking to us and take turns in conversation. We understand how to stay on the topic being discussed, and when it's OK to change topics. We must follow these rules of conversation, called "pragmatics" by speech-language pathologists, in order to be communicators. Involving children in conversations is the easiest and most natural way to help children learn these rules.

Speech/Language Therapy is provided to students who have been referred for an evaluation and have met Orange County Criteria.

Modified by from the article "Good Talking With You" by Educational Productions.