Case studies communication lecture

1.Tumnus is a five-year old kindergartener who is non-verbal with a developmental delay. He is

ambulatory and loves Paw Patrol and Sesame Street. He is not generally interested in playing with
others, but he does have one classmate, Lucy, whom he sometimes approaches and will sit alongside
Lucy during classroom activities. He does not have a consistent “yes,” “no,” and does not use any
gestures or picture cards to communicate.
2.Peter is an eight-year-old third grader with multiple disabilities (autism, intellectual disability, cerebral
palsy). He is well-liked by his peers, but his primary method of getting attention is to stick his hand down
his pants, which makes other people uncomfortable. He has limited one-word phrases that he says
(“yeah,” “no,” “bye,” “potty”), and these phrases can be understood by most listeners. He does not use
any other form of communication (e.g., pictures, AAC device, gestures). His parents are concerned about
him constantly putting his hands down his pants, and they want him to learn to request attention in an
age-appropriate manner. Peter likes to interact with his peers and teachers, and he does not like to
work alone during independent work.
3.Edmund is a thirteen-year-old young man with Down syndrome and quadriplegia. He says several
words (“help,” “no,” “yes,” “please,” “shoe,” “book”), and he will nod/shake his head in response to
yes/no questions. He likes to play with his peers, but he lacks the language skills to initiate social
interactions. When he sees his peers playing a game, he will stand by them and stare at them, but he
will not say anything. He may point to his peers, but they don’t understand what his pointing means.
4.Eustace is a fifteen-year-old young man with multiple disabilities (paraplegia and autism) who tends to
shout and make unintelligible noises to get the attention of others around him. He does not have any
consistent words or gestures. He does have a new speech pathologist who is working with him to learn
how to use pictures to communicate, but this is slow-going and frustrating for Eustace. Sometimes he
rips the pictures up or throws away the pictures.
5.Lucy is a six-year-old first grader with autism, cerebral palsy, and a seizure disorder. She often pushes
peers or other people away if they are being too loud for her or if she is asked to do a non-preferred
task. Lucy is learning to use some laminated pictures to communicate, but she often gets frustrated if
she cannot find the picture she wants within a few seconds. She in non-verbal and does not use any
gestures.
6.Susan is an eight-year-old girl with a mild visual impairment, cerebral palsy, and a developmental
delay. She is mostly non-verbal, but she does have a few spoken words (“hi,” “dog,” “bye,” “potty,”
“milk”). She does not consistently use any gestures or pictures to communicate, and she often takes a
person’s hand to lead them to an item she is requesting.
7.Jill is an eleven-year-old girl with a mild visual impairment, autism, and quadriplegia. She says a few
words (“hi,” “Jill,” “bye,” “potty”), and some limited gestures (e.g., pointing to request an item, waiving
hi/bye). She really likes watching shows on Netflix, cooking activities at school, and listening to music on
her iPad. She does not like to interact with most of her classmates, although she does like to play games
with Eustace and Susan.
8.Aravis is a sixteen-year-old young lady with autism, a seizure disorder, and muscular dystrophy. She
dislikes sudden, loud noises, flashing lights, and social interaction. She does not have any consistent
spoken words; she sometimes will point to an item if she wants it. Sometimes, if her environment is too
overwhelming (e.g., loud, bright, crowded), Aravis will scream and try to elope from the setting.