A natural language teaching paradigm for nonverbal autistic children

The purpose of this study was to attempt to improve verbal language acquisition for nonverbal autistic children by manipulating traditional teaching techniques so they incorporated parameters of natural language interactions and motivational techniques. Within a multiple baseline design, treatment was conducted in a baseline condition with trials presented serially in a traditional analogue clinical format where the therapist presented instructions, prompts, and reinforcers for correct responses. Then, these variables were manipulated in the natural language teaching condition such that (a) stimulus items were functional and varied, (b) natural reinforcers were employed, (c) communicative attempts were also reinforced, and (d) trials were conducted within a natural interchange. Treatment and generalization data demonstrated that manipulation of these variables resulted in broadly generalized treatment gains. Implications for language intervention are discussed.

[1]  B. Freeman,et al.  Current research on the syndrome of autism: introduction. The National Society for Autistic Children's definition of the syndrome of autism. , 1978, Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry.

[2]  B. Hart,et al.  Incidental teaching of language in the preschool. , 1975, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[3]  R. Koegel,et al.  Educating and understanding autistic children , 1982 .

[4]  Developing a social communication curriculum for autistic students , 1982 .

[5]  R. Koegel,et al.  Motivation in childhood autism: can they or won't they? , 1985, Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines.

[6]  M. Hamilton,et al.  Imitation as a learning strategy in the acquisition of vocabulary , 1976 .

[7]  Robin N. Campbell,et al.  Recent Advances in the Psychology of Language , 1978 .

[8]  R. Koegel,et al.  Motivating autistic children. , 1979, Journal of abnormal psychology.

[9]  R. Koegel,et al.  Direct versus indirect response-reinforcer relationships in teaching autistic children , 1980, Journal of abnormal child psychology.

[10]  Garry L. Martin,et al.  Behavior Modification: What it is and how to do it , 2019, Psychology Teaching Review.

[11]  L. Bloom,et al.  Language development and language disorders , 1979 .

[12]  D. W. Churchill.  Effects of Success and Failure in Psychotic Children , 1971 .

[13]  E. Carr,et al.  Acquisition of sign language by autistic children. I: Expressive labelling. , 1978, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[14]  L. Eisenberg.  The autistic child in adolescence. , 1956, The American journal of psychiatry.

[15]  B. Hart,et al.  Using preschool materials to modify the language of disadvantaged children. , 1974, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[16]  L. Bloom,et al.  Planning a first lexicon: which words to teach first. , 1977, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[17]  D. Macmillan.  The Problem of Motivation in the Education of the Mentally Retarded , 1971, Exceptional children.

[18]  G. Siegel,et al.  Language training in natural and clinical environments. , 1982, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[19]  Benson Schaeffer,et al.  Total communication: A signed speech program for nonverbal children , 1980 .

[20]  B. Freeman,et al.  National Society for Autistic Children definition of the syndrome of autism. , 1978, Journal of autism and childhood schizophrenia.

[21]  R. Koegel,et al.  Response-reinforcer relationships and improved learning in autistic children. , 1981, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[22]  H. Sloane,et al.  OPERANT PROCEDURES IN REMEDIAL SPEECH AND LANGUAGE TRAINING. , 1968 .

[23]  D M Baer,et al.  An implicit technology of generalization. , 1977, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[24]  A. Holland,et al.  Language therapy for children: some thoughts on context and content. , 1975, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[25]  G. Dunlap,et al.  The influence of task variation and maintenance tasks on the learning and affect of autistic children. , 1984, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[26]  R. C. Oldfield.  Things, Words and the Brain* , 1966, The Quarterly journal of experimental psychology.

[27]  M. Rutter.  Diagnosis and definition of childhood autism , 1978, Journal of autism and childhood schizophrenia.

[28]  R. Koegel,et al.  Motivating autistic children through stimulus variation. , 1980, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[29]  J. Hartung.  A review of procedures to increase verbal imitation skills and functional speech in autistic children. , 1970, The Journal of speech and hearing disorders.

[30]  P. J. Krantz,et al.  The facilitative effects of incidental teaching on preposition use by autistic children. , 1985, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[31]  B. Hart.  Pragmatics and Language Development , 1980 .

[32]  W. Sailor,et al.  A Comparison of Three Strategies of Reinforcement on Two-Choice Learning Problems with Severely Retarded Children , 1979 .

[33]  A. L. Egel,et al.  Establishing generative yes/no responses in developmentally disabled children. , 1984, Journal of applied behavior analysis.

[34]  F. M. Hewett.  Teaching speech to an autistic child through operant conditioning. , 1965, The American journal of orthopsychiatry.

[35]  L. Tsai,et al.  A pragmatic approach to increase expressive language skills in young autistic children , 1983, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

[36]  D. Barlow,et al.  Single Case Experimental Designs: Strategies for Studying Behavior Change , 1976 .

[37]  A. Schuler,et al.  Emerging language in autistic children , 1980 .

[38]  O. I. Lovaas,et al.  The autistic child: Language development through behavior modification. , 1977 .