The present study explored strategies teachers use to help people with ASD develop sociosexual skills for empathy expression. Previous research found the curriculum for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) does not always include strategies to teach the socio-sexual skills required for empathy expression. This qualitative descriptive study…

Despite advances in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), outcomes among children who require AAC remain discouraging. Practitioners may benefit from guidelines to aid decision-making in relation to supporting pre-linguistic communicators. We conducted an open-ended questionnaire of 30 AAC professionals from six…

Although previous research provides insights into how gestures function as a pedagogical tool, relatively little is known about how gesture is related to language, together creating a key meaning-making teaching resource. Drawing on the system of logico-semantic relations in Systemic Functional Linguistic theory and McNeill's description of…

In today's workforce, soft skills such as communication and adaptability are increasingly critical for career success, yet many graduates lack these competencies. As online learning continues to expand, questions arise about its effectiveness in cultivating essential workplace skills. This mixed-methods case study examines how synchronous and…

Communication skills are one of the abilities required for 21st-century learning. Students must consider communication skills in learning because they can guide students in conveying ideas effectively and interacting and collaborating with others. This study aimed to investigate the online reading-concept mapping-reciprocal teaching (REMAP-RT)…

In the twenty-first-century working professionals need to possess strong Interactional Competence to handle professional communication in intercultural contexts (PCIC). However, the relationship among the three PCIC constituents -- culture, workplace and interaction -- is undertheorized in current research. This leaves PCIC practitioners…

Children with typical hearing and vision learn to communicate by watching and listening to others. But children who are deafblind have limited access to learning this way. They need knowledgeable educators who understand how deafblindness impacts learning--who know how to assess a child's communication and plan for and engage in meaningful…

How might teachers and students deepen dialogic space in online discussions centered on race? This paper explores challenges of creating shared spaces of collective inquiry online across audio/visual/written modes. We explore why participants switch modes--e.g. from oral/visual participation to written chat--while participating in a synchronous…

Purpose: Elementary-aged peers often need support for them to have positive interactions with classmates with autism who are minimally speaking (i.e., fewer than 30 functional spoken words). This study examined whether peers could learn to use responsive interaction strategies to support inclusive play and communication within a peer network…

The vast majority of individuals with Rett syndrome do not utilize natural speech and therefore require alternative and augmentative communication (AAC). The purpose of the current study was to investigate the use of high- and low-tech AAC modalities by three individuals with Rett syndrome given similar instruction for using both modalities. For…

This paper aims to study the effects that asynchronous and synchronous instructional methods have on student perceptions and attitudes towards online education. We analyze both qualitative and quantitative survey responses from 496 students in three large (greater than 200 enrolled students) first-year calculus classes at the University of Guelph.…

This study aims to enhance communicative competencies in future teachers, a frequently neglected area in educational training by integrating illusionism as an innovative pedagogical tool. A quantitative analysis was conducted using a validated questionnaire across three dimensions to assess the communicative competence levels of 81 trainee…

Background and aims: Teachers serve as critical communication partners for students with intellectual disability (ID) who face communication difficulties. However, teachers may lack sufficient training in using communication partner strategies and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in the classroom. This study aimed to explore…

The purpose of this study was to examine teachers' use of mediated immediacy in a syllabus to determine effects on students' communication apprehension with instructors and student out-of-class communication with instructors. Participants viewed either a basic course syllabus with high levels of mediated immediacy or low levels of mediated…

In this conceptual practice-based article, we establish the need to examine inclusive-oriented pedagogical strategies to support individuals with autism. We believe that educators who use critical reflection can detect many of the common misconceptions about autism, learn how to re-frame these understandings, and consider alternative ways to…