Abstract

In this seminar I will present work from the Social Communication Intervention Project (SCIP), a project which aims to build communication skills in children with autism and related social difficulties. I will discuss key psychological theories of social communication difficulties and give examples of how picture books, comic strips and other narratives can be used in therapy to support linguistic, social and cognitive development. I will give examples of how shared narratives in storybooks can be used as a stepping stone to skilled conversational interaction and discourse. I hope the seminar will stimulate interdisciplinary discussion between scholars of children’s literature and practitioners of clinical psychology.

Dr Jenny Gibson is a developmental psychologist and qualified speech and language therapist specializing in complex language and communication disorders. She is a Principal Investigator in the centre for research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (PEDaL). Her research investigates the role of play and language in children’s social development.