Conversation is the art of combining questions, active listening, and self disclosure in a way that people keep talking and enjoy it.  Children need to realize the key to conversation is give and take — not dominating the conversation and not simply holding back and listening — conversation is an active, participant sport in all respects.  Continual role play and practice, practice, practice are the keys to developing these concepts in students with social disabilities.  They can be taught and they can learn these ideas — one step at a time.

(c) 1995-2009, monte w. davenport, ph.d.