Limited communication skills among individuals with autism and other related disabilities have long been recognized as a major stumbling block to their functioning in all aspects of society. American Sign Language has opened the door to many non-verbal autistics as it has for the deaf community. .
Autism is a multifaceted developmental disability that characteristically appears during the first three years of life. Males are more prevalent in this condition then females are and there are no specific type of persons that autism effects. .
Autism is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain; it impacts the normal development of the brain in the areas of social interaction and communications skills. Children and adults with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communications, social interactions and leisure or play activities. .
Individuals with autism process and respond to information in different ways, as listed here,.
• Aggressive behavior and/or self injurious behavior.
• Difficulty in expressing needs, uses gestures or pointing instead of words.
• Tantrums.
• Not responsive to verbal cues; acts as if deaf although hearing test in normal range.
• Little or no eye contact.
• No real fear of danger.
• Uneven motor skills.
Autism causes many problems not only for the autistic person but for those who care for them and love them. Without verbal communication the life of a person with this condition as with other developmental challenges becomes frustrating and anger builds to the point of tantrums or violence. With the help of American Sign Language the possibilities of communication with those who can not verbally communicate has opened a new door them as well as for their families. .
American Sign Language or ASL is a complex visual-spatial language that is used by the Deaf community in the United States and English speaking parts of Canada.