The ability to communicate with one another is of paramount importance to the success of the human race (Hartley, 1999). Communication is a dynamic process with the interacting components of sending and receiving information. Nonverbal cues may provide clarity or contradiction for a message being sent (Dunn, 1998). This is not to say that nonverbal forms of communication merely provide a modem of clarity for verbal communication, they can, and do, stand alone (Krauss et al, 1995). Facial expressions, body movements, gaze and posture can all be used to provide further emphasis to language communication or can be employed silently and still convey important messages (Danziger, 1976). This paper will discuss the role nonverbal …show more content…

Similarly, Lord (1997) noted that all the behaviour which best identify autistic children at the age of two involve communication of affect: greeting, seeking to share enjoyment of an event and responding to others indications of enjoyment. The conations of this are that autistic children, and adults, appear to be very insular members of society. As adults, persons with autism seem to not understand the social requirements of human interchange, even if they possess good verbal abilities, they find it difficult to interact on a spontaneous basis with others (Shapiro and Hertzig, 1991). Due to the lack of understanding and formation of nonverbal communication amongst autism sufferers, the building of social relationships is challenging, as, although they can communicate verbally, their body language cannot be deciphered by others which promotes an overall feeling of discomfort in those who are not close to the sufferer (Shapiro and Hertzig, 1991).

To conclude, nonverbal communication is an interacting process which involves the sending and receiving of information and is of paramount importance the formation and retention of social relationships. This paper has put forward the ideas that nonverbal communication facilitates the presentation of social relationship, for example, differences between dominant and subordinate parties, and also levels of familiarity between individuals. It has been argued that nonverbal