Nonverbal Communication: An Alternate Mode of Communication for the Child with Severe Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

This paper reports the results of a study to determine the feasibility and usefulness of teaching severely mentally retarded cerebral-palsied children a nonverbal means of communication. All the children easily learned to use the communication device as a means of signaling distress and the need for attention. Most of them learned to use it to communicate their basic needs. The extent to which they used the communication system depended heavily on the attitude of the staff.