Language and Autism: Applied Behavior Analysis, Evidence and Practice By Adrienne Fitzer and Peter Sturmey
Abstract
This book is intended to provide clear guidance to practitioners in a concise format. The proposed volume is an edited work consisting of 12 chapters. Each of the 12 chapters includes a final section on practitioner recommendations. The first two chapters include behavioral theory of language acquisition; the efficacy of behavioral and other approaches commonly used interventions as applied to language. The next group of chapters addresses common targets, such as requesting, elaborated language use, reading and writing and nonsocial interventions for language acquisition. The next chapters address commonly used behavioral interventions, functional communication training and incidental teaching. The final chapter addresses decreasing inappropriate language. This volume will provide the reader with a concise overview of applied behavioral interventions for language in people with autism spectrum disorders.
... For the purpose of the present paper, our target population is primarily individuals who have severe communication impairment associated with ASD and/or intellectual disability. While such individuals might learn to speak with intensive early intervention [11], approximately 25 to 30 % of these individuals fail to develop sufficient speech to meet their every day communication needs even with intensive intervention [6]. There is general consensus that individuals with ASD and severe communication impairment are candidates for AAC intervention [11,12]. ...
... While such individuals might learn to speak with intensive early intervention [11], approximately 25 to 30 % of these individuals fail to develop sufficient speech to meet their every day communication needs even with intensive intervention [6]. There is general consensus that individuals with ASD and severe communication impairment are candidates for AAC intervention [11,12]. There is now extensive evidence to support and guide the use of AAC with individuals with ASD and/or intellectual disability who also have severe communication impairment [11,12]. ...
... There is general consensus that individuals with ASD and severe communication impairment are candidates for AAC intervention [11,12]. There is now extensive evidence to support and guide the use of AAC with individuals with ASD and/or intellectual disability who also have severe communication impairment [11,12]. ...
Many individuals with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability are candidates for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). We review two current trends in AAC research involving persons with ASD and intellectual disability. The first trend is the use of smartphone and tablet devices in AAC interventions. The second trend is the direct comparison of the relative efficacy of differing AAC options, for example comparing the use of manual signs versus picture-based communication systems versus speech-generating devices. Studies in the first group suggest that this new technology can be effectively used in AAC intervention. Studies in the latter group have found differences in how quickly some individuals have learned to use different options and differences in preference for the various options. These research trends suggest a possible new direction for AAC intervention that incorporates aspects of self-determination.
... Indeed, in a survey of 90 parents, communication skills were nominated as being among the top 10 educational priorities for children with ASD (Pituch et al., 2011). To this end, research in the field of applied behavior analysis has yielded a number of effective instructional procedures for teaching a range of socially acceptable communication skills to children with ASD (Fitzer & Sturmey, 2009). The specific instructional procedures that have been successfully used to teach communication skills to We evaluated a set of instructional procedures for teaching two nonverbal boys with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to request the continuation of toy play using an iPad 1 based speech-generating device (SGD). ...
... While our results confirm the findings of these previous studies, our study also extends this existing literature by demonstrating successful outcomes for two younger children within a naturalistic play routine. More generally, the findings support the integration of behaviorally based teaching procedures (Fitzer & Sturmey, 2009) with an appropriately configured type of assistive communication technology (Lancioni, Sigafoos, O'Reilly, & Singh, 2013). In the present study, the iPad 1 -based SGD system appeared to be appropriately configured for, and suited to, these two children given their entry level of adaptive behavior functioning. ...
... Impairment of expressive communication ability is prevalent among individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as noted by Sturmey and Fitzer (2009). While the nature and severity of communication impairment varies, a significant percentage of such individuals fail to develop sufficient speech to meet their everyday communication needs. ...
Identifying an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) method for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) might be informed by comparing their performance with, and preference for, a range of communication modalities. Towards this end, the present study involved two children with ASD who were taught to request the continuation of toy play by: (a) signing MORE, (b) exchanging a picture card representing MORE, and (c) touching a MORE symbol from the screen of a speech-generating device. The children were also given opportunities to choose among the three modalities to identify their preferred method of communication. Both children performed better with picture exchange and the speech-generating device than with manual signing, but had variable performance during follow-up. Both children more often chose the speech-generating device, suggesting a preference for that modality. We conclude that concurrent intervention across several communication methods can generate data to inform the selection of an AAC modality.
... According to diagnostic criteria presented in this source, some problems observed in language and communication fields are classified as late speaking or never speaking, difficulty in starting or continuing communication, extraordinary or repetitive use of language, disability in games skills appropriate for their developmental levels. It is determined that social interaction problems and restricted/repetitive interests and behaviors, which are the other basic factors taken into consideration when diagnosing children affected by autism spectrum disorder, are closely related to the problems observed in language and communication fields (American Psychiatric Association; Landa, 2007;Sturmey & Fitzer, 2009). The difficulties in language and communication skills in autism affect cognitive and social development; in addition, it can cause behavior problems. ...
The present study was designed to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of two discrete trial teaching procedures for teaching receptive language skills to children with autism. While verbal instructions were delivered alone during the first procedure, all verbal instructions were combined with simple gestures and/or signs during the second procedure when teaching receptive language skills by using discrete trial teaching. A parallel treatments design was used to compare the differential effects of the two procedures on the acquisition of the receptive language skills. Two students with autism participated in the study. The results of the study showed that the discrete trial teaching procedure in which verbal instructions were combined with simple gestures and/or signs was slightly more effective and efficient on promoting the acquisition of receptive language skills for both students. Discrete trial teaching procedure in which verbal instructions were delivered alone was not effective for any of the training sets across students. © 2011 Eḡitim Dani{dotless}şmanli{dotless}ḡi{dotless} ve Araşti{dotless}rmalari{dotless} İletişim Hizmetleri Tic.
... The intent was to first establish an effective, yet relatively simple, requesting response that enabled the children to access highly reinforcing stimuli. Unlike an intervention that focuses only on teaching speech, initial use of an alternative mode, such as a tablet computer-based SGD, offers the advantage of enabling correct responses to be easily prompted, thereby ensuring a high rate of success/reinforcement to facilitate learning and ensure a high level of motivation to communicate (Fitzer and Sturmey, 2009). After the requesting response was well established, the SGD was then removed, while the motivation to communicate was maintained by temporarily removing/withholding the preferred stimuli. ...
Background
Children with neurodevelopmental disorders often present with little or no speech. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aims to promote functional communication using non-speech modes, but it might also influence natural speech production.
Method
To investigate this possibility, we provided AAC intervention to two boys with neurodevelopmental disorders and severe communication impairment. Intervention focused on teaching the boys to use a tablet computer-based speech-generating device (SGD) to request preferred stimuli. During SGD intervention, both boys began to utter relevant single words. In an effort to induce more speech, and investigate the relation between SGD availability and natural speech production, the SGD was removed during some requesting opportunities.
Results
With intervention, both participants learned to use the SGD to request preferred stimuli. After learning to use the SGD, both participants began to respond more frequently with natural speech when the SGD was removed.
Conclusion
The results suggest that a rehabilitation program involving initial SGD intervention, followed by subsequent withdrawal of the SGD, might increase the frequency of natural speech production in some children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This effect could be an example of response generalization.
Autism spectrum disorder is associated with communication impairment and problem behavior such as aggression and self-injury. Researchers have found an inverse relation between problem behavior and communicative competence, suggesting that some problem behavior might have a communicative basis. Additional support for this relation emanates from studies aimed at identifying variables that control problem behavior with experimental-functional analysis methodology. In this chapter, we review the results of current research that has used experimental-functional analyses of problem behavior among individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Results suggest that a substantial percentage of individuals with autism spectrum disorder present with problem behavior controlled by (a) attention from another person, (b) access to preferred objects/activities, and/or (c) escape from or avoidance of non-preferred objects/activities/people. Problem behavior controlled by these variables might be conceptualized as prelingusitic forms of intentional communication related to (a) recruiting attention, (b) requesting access to preferred objects/activities, and/or (c) rejecting non-preferred objects/activities/people. In such cases, intervention aimed at replacing the problematic forms by teaching appropriate communication alternatives has proven to be effective. Challenges in conducting experimental-functional analyses and interpreting their results are discussed, as are directions for future research related to replacing problematic prelinguistic forms with more acceptable alternatives.
This study used a standard touchscreen computer with a newly developed Communication Request and Automatic Response Assistive Program (CRARAP) software package to evaluate whether two people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) would be able to actively perform communication requests to continue their preferred environmental stimulation. The CRARAP software was specifically developed for this study to combine the functions of a standard touchscreen computer with a speech-generating device (SGD) and the feature of automatic response to requests. A multiple probe design across participants was adopted in this study. The results show that both participants significantly improved their target responses in terms of performing the correct alternative communication request during the intervention phase, and retained this effective performance in the maintenance phase. The practical and developmental implications of the findings are discussed.
Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have limited or absent speech and might therefore benefit from learning to use a speech-generating device (SGD). The purpose of this study was to evaluate a procedure aimed at teaching three children with ASD to use an iPad®-based SGD to make a general request for access to toys, then make a specific request for one of two toys, and then communicate a thank-you response after receiving the requested toy.
A multiple-baseline across participants design was used to determine whether systematic instruction involving least-to-most-prompting, time delay, error correction, and reinforcement was effective in teaching the three children to engage in this requesting and social communication sequence. Generalization and follow-up probes were conducted for two of the three participants.
With intervention, all three children showed improvement in performing the communication sequence. This improvement was maintained with an unfamiliar communication partner and during the follow-up sessions.
With systematic instruction, children with ASD and severe communication impairment can learn to use an iPad-based SGD to complete multi-step communication sequences that involve requesting and social communication functions.
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