title: Profile of the prelinguistic intentional communicative behaviors of children with profound mental retardation.
abstract: The prelinguistic intentional communicative behaviors of 10 noninstitutionalized children with profound mental retardation were analyzed according to five profile parameters: communicative rate, communicative function, discourse structure, communicative means, and syllable shape. Subjects used a predominance of regulatory communicative functions, initiated discourse structure, gestural communicative means, and nontranscribable vocalizations/vocalizations without consonants. Findings were compared to previously reported data from children without mental retardation and institutionalized children with severe and profound mental retardation.
authors.affiliation: Western Carolina University, Department of Human Services, Cullowhee 28723-9043.
authors.forename: B T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: Ogletree
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wetherby
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Westling
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D007802:Language; D007806:Language Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D008297:Male