The collection of papers by Swedish special educators, addresses approaches to helping mentally retarded and multiply handicapped people communicate. The papers are written by psychologists, educators, speech therapists, music instructors, and researchers and focus on the following topics: the context of communication (Mats Granlund), early language communication (Berit Olsson), sign communication (Cecilia Olsson), Amer-Ind (a nonverbal communication method) (Berit Baryd), applications of deaf-blind children's communication training to other disabilities (Barbro Goras), a communication-based model for language stimulation in mongoloid children (Irene Johansson), communication via natural reactions and signals (Gerd Unden), communicating with pictures (Eva Ihre and Annie-Liis Raud), Bliss symbols (Britt Carlsson), PIC (pictogram, ideogram, communication) (Kerstin Falck), function-orientated music therapy (Lasse Hjelm), data communications (Magnus Magnusson), and reflections of a visit to the United States (Gunnel Thunell). The concluding piece is a poem entitled "The Hand I Know" (Ulla Tidestrom). (CL)