Research Paper on:
Autistic Students and Augmentative Communication

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
his ability to interact socially in what is considered a normal way. The repetitive actions and language dysfunction condemn autistic individuals to a life of not only mental discrimination  but also physical, as well. Often referred to as "water on the brain," hydrocephalus occurs when the body does not effectively reabsorb the spinal fluid that circulates to and  from the brain. When this happens in infants, the fluid pressure may cause the head to expand out of proportion due to plate separation inside the skull. Because  hydrocephalus impairs ones thinking processes - headache, vomiting, lethargy, change in head size, modifications in thinking, such as the development of confusion or loss of memory (Anonymous #3, 2002) -  it is imperative that the individual not be left to fend for his or herself. Clearly, the surgical option represents the only alternative that would effectively provide for optimum  growth, which would also help to address the expectations that society would place upon the individual. Autistic people are unable to communicate in  the same ways that society expects one to communicate, inasmuch as their thought processes do not follow the same logical progression as others. Because of this severe limitation, it  is imperative that an autistic individual expresses his or herself through augmentative methods - object communication -- such as photographs, drawings, pictograms and gestures. With the ability to express  oneself in the typically accepted manner extremely difficult, the autistic person can more readily point, nod and acknowledge augmented methods as a means by which to make others understand their  needs. "What is successful in most cases is a structured daily routine system where the autistic person can monitor the course of the day by means of drawings, photographs