Communication affects many areas of daily life. Therefore,
support programs to assist persons with developmental
disabilities should identify individuals who would especially
benefit from communication training. Forty individuals with
developmental disabilities were assessed on Vineland Adaptive
Behavioral Scales (VABS) (Sparrow, Balia, &Cicchetti, 1984),
the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) test (Kerr,
Meyerson, & Flora, 1977), and a Communication Status Survey
developed for this study. ABLA level was correlated with all
VABS scales except gross motor skills and maladaptive
behaviors. These correlations validate the use of the ABLA as
a measure of cognitive ability. Ability to use formal
communication modes (speech, sign language, symbols) was
significantly (p= 0.001) related to ABLA level. Examination
of individual cases suggested that the ABLA may be predictive
of the ability to acquire formal communication. All persons
able to pass ABLA level 2 or higher who had received previous
communication training had some formal communication ability.
In contrast, five individuals who were able to pass ABLA
level 2 or 3 and lacked formal communication had not received
communication training. The importance of formal
communication is confirmed since persons without formal communication were unable to provide information about
immediate and external environments or request clarification.
Training in formal communication may be of benefit in
allowing clients to perform these skills
