This article profiles Joseph Jerome "Joe" Steffy, who has autism, and describes how he uses his augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device on the job (a successful business selling his Kettle Korn at festivals). There is more to Joe's story than his autism, Down syndrome, and epilepsy. It is also about resourcefulness, family and…

This is my daughter's story, although the voice is mine. Heather is an adult whose life is complicated by congenital blindness, cognitive impairment, epilepsy, and expressive aphasia. Typically, communication between Heather and others is a two-way challenge: At each step, everyone involved must perceive, interpret, and confirm understanding. An…

Social routines, which combined nursery rhymes with carefully planned action sequences, were used to help two young developmentally delayed, visually handicapped children acquire communicative responses. Midway through the 3-year project, one child responded to words for objects, people, and actions. (Author/SEW)