You’ve more than likely heard the old story about what it means when a boy pulls a girl’s pigtails, right? I bet many of you were skeptical when someone first told you that that behavior was a form of communication and made it sound like an okay thing. And while it isn’t okay, there is a very strong connection between communication and behavior.

Since May is Better Speech and Hearing Month, I’m switching gears and making this month’s podcast theme about the connection between communication and behavior. In this episode, I share some of the research I’ve found about how communication impacts behavior, how behavior grows out of communication deficits, and what all that means for intervention purposes.

4:42​ - What research shows about the development of communicative intentions of children in the past 50 years

6:40 - Why language-impaired kids show more behavior problems than other kids their age

9:22 - Why some with developmental disabilities experience a decrease in problem behavior

10:22 - Why it’s not enough to teach students just any communication skills

11:08 - A quick rundown of what functional communication training is

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Grab the transcript, freebie and resource links at http://autismclassroomresources.com/episode121

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