Abstract
The present symposium was conducted at a seminar on autism and communication held on July 12, 2008, at Hosei University in Tokyo. First, a comprehensive program for teaching communication skills to autistic children at Keio University was presented. Second, a family-support program provided by the University of Tsukuba to teach an autistic child using PECS at home was introduced. Third, a family and school support program based on functional communication training provided by a private clinic (TASUC Ltd.) was described. Finally, the discussant, Bondy, commented on each presentation on the basis of his expertise in providing communication training for teachers and parents working with children with autism.