All humans have an innate need and ability to communicate with others, and this book presents successful approaches to nurturing communicative abilities in people who have some type of communication impairment.The contributors look at a wide range of approaches, including intensive interaction, co-creative communication, sensory integration and music therapy, for a variety of impairments, including autism, profound learning disabilities, deafblindness, severe early neglect and dementia. This wide perspective provides insight into what it feels like to struggle with a communicative impairment, and how those who work with and care about such individuals can and should think more creatively about how to make contact with them.Covering both the theory and practical implementation of different interventions, this book will be invaluable for health and social work professionals, psychologists, psychotherapists, counsellors, speech and language therapists, as well as researchers, teachers and students in these fields.

1. Introduction: Bridging a Spectrum of Communicative Impairments. M. Suzanne Zeedyk, University of Dundee, UK. Origins of Communication. 2. Intuition for Human Communication. Colwyn Trevarthen, University of Edinburgh, UK. 3. The Universality of Musical Communication. Raymond A. R. MacDonald, Glasgow Caledonian University, UK. Communicative Impairments. 4. The Use of Imitation with Children with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Foundations for Shared Communication. Michelle B. O'Neill, Martyn C. Jones and M. Suzanne Zeedyk, University of Dundee, UK. 5. Sharing Communicative Landscapes with Congenitally Deafblind People: It's a walk in the park! Paul Hart, Sense Scotland. 6. Using Imitation to Establish Channels of Communication with Institutionalised Children in Romania: Bridging the Gap. Clifford E. Davies, M. Suzanne Zeedyk, Sarah Walls, Naomi Betts and Sarah Parry. 7. Developing Relationships with People with Profound Learning Disabilities through Intensive Interaction. Dr Pete Coia, Wakefield Psychological Service, UK and Angela Jardine Handley. 8. A New Approach to Communicating with People with Advanced Dementia:A Case Study of Adaptive Interaction. Maggie P. Ellis and Arlene J. Astell, University of St Andrews, UK. A Closer Look at Interventions. 9. Video Interaction Guidance: A Bridge to Better Interactions for Individuals with Communication Impairments. Hilary Kennedy, University of Dundee, UK and Heather Sked. 10. Sensory Integration: From Spinning to Sitting, from Sitting to Smiling. Jane Horwood, Private Practitioner. 11. Intensive Interaction: Getting in Touch with a Child with Severe Autism. Phoebe Caldwell, Private Practitioner.