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Communication Sciences and Disorders

San Jose State University

Selected Works

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Medicine and Health Sciences

The Development Of A Universal Tangible Symbol System, Ellen Trief, Susan M. Bruce, Paul W. Cascella, Sarah Ivy Jan 2009

The Development Of A Universal Tangible Symbol System, Ellen Trief, Susan M. Bruce, Paul W. Cascella, Sarah Ivy

Paul Cascella

Tangible symbols are objects or partial objects with qualities, such as shape, texture, and consistency, that can be used to represent a person, place, object, activity, or concept. They can be handled and share a perceptual relationship with what they represent, known as the referent. This article presents a study on the development of a universal tangible symbol system. The purpose of this study was to identify a set of standardized tangible symbols from which educational teams could select the most appropriate symbols for the children they serve.


Ratings Of Communication Competence By Siblings Of Persons With Down Syndrome, Sarah E. Smith, Paul Cascella Jan 2007

Ratings Of Communication Competence By Siblings Of Persons With Down Syndrome, Sarah E. Smith, Paul Cascella

Paul Cascella

This study surveyed 25 siblings of persons with Down Syndrome to gain an ecological perspective of important communication competence indicators. Siblings favorably described persons with Down Syndrome as "effective" and "good" communicators who "communicate to potential." Siblings regarded social communication skills as especially important, i.e., being able to communicate without fear, ebing able to express wants, needs, opinions, and feelings, being able to ask questions, and alerting partners to communication breakdowns. Siblings also regarded language comprehension as an important skill. Favorable descriptive labels were often applied to adult-aged persons with mild ID and normal hearing. Clinical implications are discussed focused …