This article describes ways for early educators to support communication of young children with complex communication needs (CCN) in classrooms through a simple three-step process. First, identify the child's preferred activities and items. Second, identify vocabulary and prepare the augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system. Third,…

In this paper, we introduce a new interpretive framework, which we call Bodymarking, to aid in describing and interpreting activity (e.g., individuals' gestures, gaze, and interaction with materials in the environment) in the classroom. We apply the framework to video recordings of mathematics lessons to explain how it can be used and offer some…

Purpose: Families and professionals often consider augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) a "last resort" for persons with communication challenges; however, speaking autistic adults have reported that they would have benefited from access to AAC as children. This tutorial discusses the history of this "last resort"…

Virtual Reality (VR) offers language learners a valuable environment for practicing language skills and other aspects essential for language development, interaction, and negotiation of meaning. For example, speaking practice in VR using avatars can reduce speaking anxiety and increase users' sense of agency. Social spaces in VR present…

Deaf-sighted, deaf-blind, and hearing-sighted people have been interacting within a small community in the Bay Islands of Honduras for over a century (Ali 2023; Ali and Braithwaite 2020). In this article, we sketch the history of the community and the ways in which signers make use of their own and their interlocutor's bodies to co-construct…

Conversations between an adult and a child are effective ways to promote language and vocabulary development in young children. Considerable attention has been paid to teachers asking open-ended questions to promote conversations. However, the feedback that follows the question is also an important part of promoting back-and-forth dialogue, and…

Science teaching and learning are discursive practices, yet analysis of these practices has frequently been grounded in theorizations that place language at the forefront of interaction and meaning-making. Such language-centric analytic approaches risk overlooking key embodied, enacted aspects of students' engagement in science practices. This…

One of the most challenging questions in philosophical and anthropological inquiries on skill learning is how skills can be shared and acquired among people, especially when they cannot be easily verbalized or written. This paper examines the process of skill learning among Western and Eastern artists of puppetry. They learn the skill generally by…

Inclusive preschool classrooms have become increasingly common in recent decades, affording opportunities for children with and without disabilities opportunities to interact and develop positive relationships. Children with disabilities may be unintentionally excluded from these interactions due to communication differences. This paper discusses…

This NCDB Practice Guide outlines the essential components and associated skills for building trusting relationships with children who are deaf-blind. Relationships grounded in trust and mutual respect increase opportunities for learning and communication. They create a sense of safety, minimize anxiety, and empower individuals to explore and…

Courses: Interpersonal Communication, Fundamentals of Human Communication, Communication Theory, Public Speaking, and Intercultural Communication. Objectives: After completing this single-class activity, students will be able to (1) describe how meaning is created through symbolic interaction, (2) explain how the self is created through symbolic…

Remote teaching can be both challenging and motivating. Professors and lecturers have developed innovative strategies to improve students' education and engage students in synchronous and asynchronous classes. In this Illuminations paper, we describe BodyWorks, online tools to support courses in physiology, motor control, and biomechanics. The…

Early interaction is a dynamic, emotional process in which infants influence and are influ­enced by caregivers and peers. This chapter reviews new developments in behavior imag­ing--objective quantification of human action--and computational approaches to the study of early emotional interaction and development. Advances in the automated…

Back-and-forth conversations with others are vital for children's development in the early years. While children's conversation partners have traditionally been their parents, teachers, and peers, recent advances in artificial intelligence have led to the introduction of machines that understand human speech and generate natural responses, and…

Following Moore's conceptual framework of the three types of interactions: (1) Learner-Instructor; (2) Learner-Content; and (3) Learner-Learner, the following sequence of three articles discuss applications of core practice principles in online higher education kinesiology courses. Specifically, this article focuses on core practice principles…