1. The ability to communicate our needs and wants is one of life's most basic
activities. Communication involves the exchange of information between a
sender and a receiver. It's a two-way street—the sender and receiver are
both necessary for communication to take place. For communication to be
effective, the sender and receiver each needs to understand the message
being communicated and the method being used to communicate.
All children communicate, but some children with visual impairments and
additional disabilities may not use spoken or written language. However,
these are not the only ways to get a message across—as anyone knows who
has ever heard a baby cry! There are a variety of communication methods
and systems that may be appropriate for your child who has visual and
multiple disabilities. These range from gestures to manual signs, to systems
using objects, pictures, or symbols, to technological devices—or to
combinations of all these methods.
The following are some of the terms you may hear in regard to
communication methods for your child:
Expressive communication refers to the way in which someone
conveys thoughts. Methods of expressive communication include
speaking, signing, gesturing, pointing, or crying.
Receptive communication refers to the way in which someone
interprets or understands a sender's communication. Listening and
reading are examples of receptive communication.
Presymbolic or nonsymbolic communication refers to communication
that does not use symbols such as words or signs. This kind of
communication therefore does not have a shared meaning for others.
Infants use presymbolic communication when they cry, laugh, reach, or
point as a way of communicating their thoughts, and the receiver has to
guess at the meaning of their messages. For example, babies may cry
when they are hungry or reach for a toy when they want to hold it.
The ability to communicate our needs and wants is one of life's most basic
activities. Communication involves the exchange of information between a
sender and a receiver. It's a two-way street—the sender and receiver are
both necessary for communication to take place. For communication to be
effective, the sender and receiver each needs to understand the message
being communicated and the method being used to communicate.
All children communicate, but some children with visual impairments and
additional disabilities may not use spoken or written language. However,
these are not the only ways to get a message across—as anyone knows who
has ever heard a baby cry! There are a variety of communication methods

2. and systems that may be appropriate for your child who has visual and
multiple disabilities. These range from gestures to manual signs, to systems
using objects, pictures, or symbols, to technological devices—or to
combinations of all these methods.
The following are some of the terms you may hear in regard to
communication methods for your child:
Expressive communication refers to the way in which someone
conveys thoughts. Methods of expressive communication include
speaking, signing, gesturing, pointing, or crying.
Receptive communication refers to the way in which someone
interprets or understands a sender's communication. Listening and
reading are examples of receptive communication.
Presymbolic or nonsymbolic communication refers to communication
that does not use symbols such as words or signs. This kind of
communication therefore does not have a shared meaning for others.
Infants use presymbolic communication when they cry, laugh, reach, or
point as a way of communicating their thoughts, and the receiver has to
guess at the meaning of their messages. For example, babies may cry
when they are hungry or reach for a toy when they want to hold it.