Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519877375
M. Flippin
Background and aims Parent-mediated interventions have been shown to be effective for improving communication skills for children with autism spectrum disorder when implemented by mothers. Little is known about the efficacy of autism spectrum disorder communication interventions implemented by fathers. This study investigated the effects of a 12-week coaching program on a father’s use of responsive strategies. Targeted responsive strategies included follow-in comments, follow-in directives, responsive physical play, and responsive object play. Collateral measures of changes to child communication skills and parental stress levels were also investigated. Methods A single subject, multiple baselines across behaviors experiment was conducted with one dyad (i.e. father and child with autism spectrum disorder). Results Results showed that the participating father was able to quickly learn to use three of the four targeted responsive strategies (i.e. follow-in comments, follow-in directives, responsive physical play). Child’s use of single words increased over baseline level and beginning use of multi-word utterances was documented. Pre–post intervention changes in ratings of stress for the participating father and mother were noted across child and parent domains. Conclusions and implications Findings of this pilot study may have important implications for developing much-needed parent coaching programs to enhance fathers’ use of responsive strategies and increase social communication skills for children with autism spectrum disorder.
{"title":"Father communication coaching for children with autism spectrum disorder: A single-subject study","authors":"M. Flippin","doi":"10.1177/2396941519877375","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519877375","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims Parent-mediated interventions have been shown to be effective for improving communication skills for children with autism spectrum disorder when implemented by mothers. Little is known about the efficacy of autism spectrum disorder communication interventions implemented by fathers. This study investigated the effects of a 12-week coaching program on a father’s use of responsive strategies. Targeted responsive strategies included follow-in comments, follow-in directives, responsive physical play, and responsive object play. Collateral measures of changes to child communication skills and parental stress levels were also investigated. Methods A single subject, multiple baselines across behaviors experiment was conducted with one dyad (i.e. father and child with autism spectrum disorder). Results Results showed that the participating father was able to quickly learn to use three of the four targeted responsive strategies (i.e. follow-in comments, follow-in directives, responsive physical play). Child’s use of single words increased over baseline level and beginning use of multi-word utterances was documented. Pre–post intervention changes in ratings of stress for the participating father and mother were noted across child and parent domains. Conclusions and implications Findings of this pilot study may have important implications for developing much-needed parent coaching programs to enhance fathers’ use of responsive strategies and increase social communication skills for children with autism spectrum disorder.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519877375","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46260185","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941518824495
P. L. Su, George Castle, S. Camarata
Background and aims Word learning is an area that poses a particular challenge to children with autism spectrum disorder. A unique challenge for this population is generalization of learned skills across new learning contexts. In clinical settings, a common assumption in teaching vocabulary for children with autism spectrum disorder is that learning in one modality will generalize incidentally to untreated modalities, but very few studies have evaluated the validity of this assumption. The purpose of this study was to investigate receptive and expressive word acquisition and cross-modal generalization in children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods A single-case parallel treatments design was used to compare word learning and cross-modal generalization in children with autism spectrum disorder. Ten children with autism spectrum disorder were taught unfamiliar vocabulary words in a combined storybook and play intervention. For each child, half of the target words were trained expressively and the other half were trained receptively by random assignment. No direct cross-modal instruction was delivered. A series of probe sessions were completed to assess participants’ within-modal learning and cross-modal generalization of vocabulary learning. Results All children learned target words in both receptive and expressive conditions, as evidenced by an average of 80% accuracy across three trials at the end of each intervention. Overall, cross-modal generalization was higher for the expressive-to-receptive direction than for the receptive-to expressive direction. Nine out of ten children demonstrated successful cross-modal generalization on the expressive-to-receptive probes and only three children demonstrated successful cross-modal generalization on the receptive-to-expressive probes. Large variability was observed with regard to number of intervention sessions needed to reach mastery criterion and there were individual patterns of word learning. Conclusion Contrary to the assumption that vocabulary learning will be “automatically” generalized across modalities, results from this study indicate that cross-modal generalization at the word level is not automatic nor consistent in children with autism spectrum disorder, particularly in the receptive-to-expressive direction. Implications The finding that more children demonstrated expressive-to-receptive generalization than the opposite direction suggests that targeting expressive vocabulary first with the goal of incidentally increasing receptive vocabulary may be more efficient than starting with the receptive modality. Additionally, the finding that not all children demonstrated successful expressive-to-receptive cross-modal generalization indicates that teaching vocabulary in the expressive modality exclusively does not guarantee receptive understanding in this population. We recommend that practitioners periodically monitor children’s vocabulary learning in both modalities or set an explicit general
{"title":"Cross-modal generalization of receptive and expressive vocabulary in children with autism spectrum disorder","authors":"P. L. Su, George Castle, S. Camarata","doi":"10.1177/2396941518824495","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941518824495","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims Word learning is an area that poses a particular challenge to children with autism spectrum disorder. A unique challenge for this population is generalization of learned skills across new learning contexts. In clinical settings, a common assumption in teaching vocabulary for children with autism spectrum disorder is that learning in one modality will generalize incidentally to untreated modalities, but very few studies have evaluated the validity of this assumption. The purpose of this study was to investigate receptive and expressive word acquisition and cross-modal generalization in children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods A single-case parallel treatments design was used to compare word learning and cross-modal generalization in children with autism spectrum disorder. Ten children with autism spectrum disorder were taught unfamiliar vocabulary words in a combined storybook and play intervention. For each child, half of the target words were trained expressively and the other half were trained receptively by random assignment. No direct cross-modal instruction was delivered. A series of probe sessions were completed to assess participants’ within-modal learning and cross-modal generalization of vocabulary learning. Results All children learned target words in both receptive and expressive conditions, as evidenced by an average of 80% accuracy across three trials at the end of each intervention. Overall, cross-modal generalization was higher for the expressive-to-receptive direction than for the receptive-to expressive direction. Nine out of ten children demonstrated successful cross-modal generalization on the expressive-to-receptive probes and only three children demonstrated successful cross-modal generalization on the receptive-to-expressive probes. Large variability was observed with regard to number of intervention sessions needed to reach mastery criterion and there were individual patterns of word learning. Conclusion Contrary to the assumption that vocabulary learning will be “automatically” generalized across modalities, results from this study indicate that cross-modal generalization at the word level is not automatic nor consistent in children with autism spectrum disorder, particularly in the receptive-to-expressive direction. Implications The finding that more children demonstrated expressive-to-receptive generalization than the opposite direction suggests that targeting expressive vocabulary first with the goal of incidentally increasing receptive vocabulary may be more efficient than starting with the receptive modality. Additionally, the finding that not all children demonstrated successful expressive-to-receptive cross-modal generalization indicates that teaching vocabulary in the expressive modality exclusively does not guarantee receptive understanding in this population. We recommend that practitioners periodically monitor children’s vocabulary learning in both modalities or set an explicit general","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941518824495","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44962782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519893313
T. Kilpatrick, S. Leitão, M. Boyes
Background Children and adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder are at elevated risk of experiencing internalising and externalising symptoms. The existing literature suggests a link between developmental language disorder, bullying victimisation and low self-esteem, both of which are negatively associated with child and adolescent mental health more generally. Aim We examined the relationship between having a history of developmental language disorder and internalising and externalising symptoms in adolescence. We also tested whether bullying victimisation and self-esteem were associated with mental health outcomes, and whether they moderated the association between a history of developmental language disorder and psychological symptoms. Methods and procedures: Adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder (n = 20, 10–16 years, 10% female, 90% male) were compared to a group of typically developing peers (n = 22, 10–16 years, 36.4% female, 63.6% male). Receptive and expressive language, internalising and externalising symptoms, bullying victimisation and self-esteem were assessed with well-validated measures. Outcomes and results: Contrary to our predictions, a history of developmental language disorder was not directly associated with internalising or externalising symptoms. However, in terms of internalising symptoms, there was a significant interaction between a history of developmental language disorder and bullying victimisation (β = 1.01, p = .02). Specifically, there was a significant association between a history of developmental language disorder and internalising symptoms at high levels of bullying victimisation [t(41) = 2.52, p = .02] but not at low levels of bullying victimisation [t(41) = –.67, p = .51). Conclusions and implications: Bullying victimisation appears to increase the risk of internalising symptoms in adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder. Future research should examine whether anti-bullying interventions can help prevent the development of internalising problems for children with developmental language disorder. These findings may aid clinicians in developing their understanding of developmental language disorder and reinforces the importance of holistic client management in speech language therapy.
背景有发育性语言障碍史的儿童和青少年经历内化和外化症状的风险较高。现有的文献表明，发育性语言障碍、欺凌受害者和低自尊之间存在联系，这两者都与儿童和青少年的心理健康负相关。目的探讨有发展性语言障碍史与青春期内化和外化症状之间的关系。我们还测试了欺凌受害者和自尊是否与心理健康结果有关，以及它们是否缓和了发展性语言障碍史和心理症状之间的联系。方法和步骤:将有发展性语言障碍史的青少年(n = 20, 10-16岁，女性占10%，男性占90%)与发育正常的同龄人(n = 22, 10-16岁，女性占36.4%，男性占63.6%)进行比较。接受性和表达性语言、内化和外化症状、欺凌受害者和自尊被评估为有效的措施。结果和结果:与我们的预测相反，发展性语言障碍的历史与内化或外化症状没有直接关系。然而，就内化症状而言，发育性语言障碍史与欺凌受害者之间存在显著的相互作用(β = 1.01, p = 0.02)。具体而言，发展性语言障碍史与高水平欺凌受害者的内化症状之间存在显著关联[t(41) = 2.52, p =。[02]但不包括低水平的欺凌受害[t(41) = -]。67, p = .51)。结论和启示:欺凌受害者似乎增加了有发展性语言障碍史的青少年内化症状的风险。未来的研究应该检查反欺凌干预是否有助于防止发展性语言障碍儿童的内化问题的发展。这些发现可能有助于临床医生发展他们对发展性语言障碍的理解，并加强在言语语言治疗中整体客户管理的重要性。
{"title":"Mental health in adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder: The moderating effect of bullying victimisation","authors":"T. Kilpatrick, S. Leitão, M. Boyes","doi":"10.1177/2396941519893313","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519893313","url":null,"abstract":"Background Children and adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder are at elevated risk of experiencing internalising and externalising symptoms. The existing literature suggests a link between developmental language disorder, bullying victimisation and low self-esteem, both of which are negatively associated with child and adolescent mental health more generally. Aim We examined the relationship between having a history of developmental language disorder and internalising and externalising symptoms in adolescence. We also tested whether bullying victimisation and self-esteem were associated with mental health outcomes, and whether they moderated the association between a history of developmental language disorder and psychological symptoms. Methods and procedures: Adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder (n = 20, 10–16 years, 10% female, 90% male) were compared to a group of typically developing peers (n = 22, 10–16 years, 36.4% female, 63.6% male). Receptive and expressive language, internalising and externalising symptoms, bullying victimisation and self-esteem were assessed with well-validated measures. Outcomes and results: Contrary to our predictions, a history of developmental language disorder was not directly associated with internalising or externalising symptoms. However, in terms of internalising symptoms, there was a significant interaction between a history of developmental language disorder and bullying victimisation (β = 1.01, p = .02). Specifically, there was a significant association between a history of developmental language disorder and internalising symptoms at high levels of bullying victimisation [t(41) = 2.52, p = .02] but not at low levels of bullying victimisation [t(41) = –.67, p = .51). Conclusions and implications: Bullying victimisation appears to increase the risk of internalising symptoms in adolescents with a history of developmental language disorder. Future research should examine whether anti-bullying interventions can help prevent the development of internalising problems for children with developmental language disorder. These findings may aid clinicians in developing their understanding of developmental language disorder and reinforces the importance of holistic client management in speech language therapy.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519893313","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41438272","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519842812
Sheila A. Thomas, J. Schulz, Nuala Ryder
Background For many years research and practice have noted the impact of the heterogeneous nature of Developmental Language Disorder (also known as language impairment or specific language impairment) on diagnosis and assessment. Recent research suggests the disorder is not restricted to the language domain and against this background, the challenge for the practitioner is to provide accurate assessment and effective therapy. The speech and language therapist aims to support the child and their carers to achieve the best outcomes. However, little is known about the experiences of the speech and language therapist in the assessment process, in contrast to other childhood disorders, yet their expertise is central in the assessment and diagnosis of children with language disorder. Aims This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of speech and language therapists involved in the assessment and diagnosis of children with Developmental Language Disorder including the linguistic and non-linguistic aspects of the disorder. Methods and procedures The qualitative study included three focus groups to provide a credible and rich description of the experiences of speech and language therapists involved in the assessment of Developmental Language Disorder. The speech and language therapists who participated in the study were recruited from different types of institution in three NHS trusts across the UK and all were directly involved in the assessment and diagnosis procedures. The lengths of speech and language therapist experience ranged from 2 years to 38 years. The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis within a phenomenological approach. Outcomes and results The analysis of the data showed three main themes relating to the speech and language therapists’ experience in assessment and diagnosis of Developmental Language Disorder. These themes were the participants’ experiences of the barriers to early referral (subthemes – parents’ misunderstanding and misconceptions of Developmental Language Disorder, bilingualism can mask Developmental Language Disorder and public lack of knowledge of support services), factors in assessment (subthemes – individual nature of impairments, choosing appropriate assessments, key indicators and identifying non-language difficulties) and the concerns over continued future support (subthemes – disadvantages with academic curriculum, disadvantages for employment, impact of Developmental Language Disorder on general life chances). Conclusions and implications This study provides first-hand evidence from speech and language therapists in the assessment of children with Developmental Language Disorder, drawing together experiences from speech and language therapists from different regions. The implications are that support for early referral and improved assessment tools are needed together with greater public awareness of Developmental Language Disorder. The implications are discussed in relat
{"title":"Assessment and diagnosis of Developmental Language Disorder: The experiences of speech and language therapists","authors":"Sheila A. Thomas, J. Schulz, Nuala Ryder","doi":"10.1177/2396941519842812","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519842812","url":null,"abstract":"Background For many years research and practice have noted the impact of the heterogeneous nature of Developmental Language Disorder (also known as language impairment or specific language impairment) on diagnosis and assessment. Recent research suggests the disorder is not restricted to the language domain and against this background, the challenge for the practitioner is to provide accurate assessment and effective therapy. The speech and language therapist aims to support the child and their carers to achieve the best outcomes. However, little is known about the experiences of the speech and language therapist in the assessment process, in contrast to other childhood disorders, yet their expertise is central in the assessment and diagnosis of children with language disorder. Aims This study aimed to gain an in-depth understanding of the experiences of speech and language therapists involved in the assessment and diagnosis of children with Developmental Language Disorder including the linguistic and non-linguistic aspects of the disorder. Methods and procedures The qualitative study included three focus groups to provide a credible and rich description of the experiences of speech and language therapists involved in the assessment of Developmental Language Disorder. The speech and language therapists who participated in the study were recruited from different types of institution in three NHS trusts across the UK and all were directly involved in the assessment and diagnosis procedures. The lengths of speech and language therapist experience ranged from 2 years to 38 years. The data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis within a phenomenological approach. Outcomes and results The analysis of the data showed three main themes relating to the speech and language therapists’ experience in assessment and diagnosis of Developmental Language Disorder. These themes were the participants’ experiences of the barriers to early referral (subthemes – parents’ misunderstanding and misconceptions of Developmental Language Disorder, bilingualism can mask Developmental Language Disorder and public lack of knowledge of support services), factors in assessment (subthemes – individual nature of impairments, choosing appropriate assessments, key indicators and identifying non-language difficulties) and the concerns over continued future support (subthemes – disadvantages with academic curriculum, disadvantages for employment, impact of Developmental Language Disorder on general life chances). Conclusions and implications This study provides first-hand evidence from speech and language therapists in the assessment of children with Developmental Language Disorder, drawing together experiences from speech and language therapists from different regions. The implications are that support for early referral and improved assessment tools are needed together with greater public awareness of Developmental Language Disorder. The implications are discussed in relat","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519842812","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41590861","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519888170
Sandra B. Vanegas
Background and aims The academic development of children with autism spectrum disorders is important to investigate as it can provide opportunities for higher education, independent living, and successful employment in adulthood. Although educational data find that children with autism spectrum disorders can achieve similar levels of academic achievement in inclusive settings as neurotypical children, little is known about how children with diverse language experiences with autism spectrum disorders develop academically. Research on neurotypical, bilingual children finds that although many may lag behind their monolingual peers on measures of academic achievement, these gaps can be minimized with bilingual education programs. Within clinical practice, concerns are still raised about bilingual exposure in children with autism spectrum disorders, with assumptions and recommendations made to limit the language of exposure to minimize risks to development. To improve the evidence-base on bilingual experience in children with autism spectrum disorders, the present study will examine whether basic academic skills (i.e., word reading, numerical operations, spelling) vary as a function of language experience (i.e., monolingual vs. bilingual). Methods The data presented in this study were based on medical records of children with autism spectrum disorders who visited a clinic in a large, urban city in the United States. Records were included for this study if children had information/data on language status, nonverbal cognition, and standardized scores for reading, math, and spelling on a standardized academic achievement test. The final sample included children with autism spectrum disorders with monolingual language experience (n = 18) or bilingual language experience (n = 13). Results Repeated measures analysis of variance analyses found that children with autism spectrum disorders with monolingual experience had higher scores on word reading skills when compared to children with autism spectrum disorders with bilingual experience. However, a different pattern was found for numerical operations, with children with autism spectrum disorders with bilingual experience outperforming children with autism spectrum disorders with monolingual experience. No differences were found between groups on spelling skills. Conclusions The preliminary findings suggest that bilingual language experience may be related to early literacy and math skills in children with autism spectrum disorders. It may be that word reading skills are slower to develop among children with autism spectrum disorders with bilingual experience due to the development of two linguistic profiles. Math skills may be enhanced in children with autism spectrum disorders with bilingual experience through the mediation of other cognitive skills (e.g., executive functioning). Implications: This preliminary study demonstrates that bilingual experience does not negatively affect the development of academi
{"title":"Academic skills in children with autism spectrum disorders with monolingual or bilingual experience","authors":"Sandra B. Vanegas","doi":"10.1177/2396941519888170","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519888170","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims The academic development of children with autism spectrum disorders is important to investigate as it can provide opportunities for higher education, independent living, and successful employment in adulthood. Although educational data find that children with autism spectrum disorders can achieve similar levels of academic achievement in inclusive settings as neurotypical children, little is known about how children with diverse language experiences with autism spectrum disorders develop academically. Research on neurotypical, bilingual children finds that although many may lag behind their monolingual peers on measures of academic achievement, these gaps can be minimized with bilingual education programs. Within clinical practice, concerns are still raised about bilingual exposure in children with autism spectrum disorders, with assumptions and recommendations made to limit the language of exposure to minimize risks to development. To improve the evidence-base on bilingual experience in children with autism spectrum disorders, the present study will examine whether basic academic skills (i.e., word reading, numerical operations, spelling) vary as a function of language experience (i.e., monolingual vs. bilingual). Methods The data presented in this study were based on medical records of children with autism spectrum disorders who visited a clinic in a large, urban city in the United States. Records were included for this study if children had information/data on language status, nonverbal cognition, and standardized scores for reading, math, and spelling on a standardized academic achievement test. The final sample included children with autism spectrum disorders with monolingual language experience (n = 18) or bilingual language experience (n = 13). Results Repeated measures analysis of variance analyses found that children with autism spectrum disorders with monolingual experience had higher scores on word reading skills when compared to children with autism spectrum disorders with bilingual experience. However, a different pattern was found for numerical operations, with children with autism spectrum disorders with bilingual experience outperforming children with autism spectrum disorders with monolingual experience. No differences were found between groups on spelling skills. Conclusions The preliminary findings suggest that bilingual language experience may be related to early literacy and math skills in children with autism spectrum disorders. It may be that word reading skills are slower to develop among children with autism spectrum disorders with bilingual experience due to the development of two linguistic profiles. Math skills may be enhanced in children with autism spectrum disorders with bilingual experience through the mediation of other cognitive skills (e.g., executive functioning). Implications: This preliminary study demonstrates that bilingual experience does not negatively affect the development of academi","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519888170","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44622749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519851225
Catherine Coales, N. Heaney, J. Ricketts, J. Dockrell, G. Lindsay, Olympia Palikara, T. Charman
Background and aims There is a paucity of literature investigating health-related quality of life in neurodevelopmental populations including children with developmental language disorders and children with autism spectrum disorder. Health-related quality of life in these two groups remains poorly understood. Furthermore, studies have typically relied on reports from caregivers and teachers rather than using self-report measures. The aim of the current study is to compare the levels and profiles of self-reported health-related quality of life of children with developmental language disorders and children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods Participants comprised 114 7-to-13-year-old children with developmental language disorders (n = 63) and children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 51) attending mainstream school. Self-reported health-related quality of life was measured using the KIDSCREEN-52. We also collected standardised measures of receptive language, autism spectrum disorder symptoms, nonverbal IQ and emotional and behavioural problems. Results Children with developmental language disorders reported health-related quality of life commensurate with normative ranges, except for 2 of the 10 dimensions; the Moods and Emotions domain and the Social acceptance/bullying domain, which were below norms. Children with autism spectrum disorder reported significantly lower health-related quality of life compared to norms and the developmental language disorders group. However, when the effects of non-verbal ability and language – on which the groups were not matched – were covaried most group differences fell to non-significance or disappeared. Child characteristics showed few associations with dimensions of health-related quality of life across groups. Conclusions Children with autism spectrum disorder may be particularly vulnerable to poorer health-related quality of life and the relevant professionals need to be aware of this. Children with developmental language disorders exhibit a profile of health-related quality of life more in-line with average ranges. However, certain domains warrant monitoring and may benefit from intervention. Many of the between-group differences in self-reported health-related quality of life disappeared when non-verbal and language ability were covaried, though neither of the covariates was systematically related to scores. Other within-child factors such as emotional understanding and competence should be explored in future studies. Implications Further research into child and contextual factors may elucidate risk or protective factors for health-related quality of life in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.
{"title":"Health-related quality of life in children with autism spectrum disorders and children with developmental language disorders","authors":"Catherine Coales, N. Heaney, J. Ricketts, J. Dockrell, G. Lindsay, Olympia Palikara, T. Charman","doi":"10.1177/2396941519851225","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519851225","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims There is a paucity of literature investigating health-related quality of life in neurodevelopmental populations including children with developmental language disorders and children with autism spectrum disorder. Health-related quality of life in these two groups remains poorly understood. Furthermore, studies have typically relied on reports from caregivers and teachers rather than using self-report measures. The aim of the current study is to compare the levels and profiles of self-reported health-related quality of life of children with developmental language disorders and children with autism spectrum disorder. Methods Participants comprised 114 7-to-13-year-old children with developmental language disorders (n = 63) and children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 51) attending mainstream school. Self-reported health-related quality of life was measured using the KIDSCREEN-52. We also collected standardised measures of receptive language, autism spectrum disorder symptoms, nonverbal IQ and emotional and behavioural problems. Results Children with developmental language disorders reported health-related quality of life commensurate with normative ranges, except for 2 of the 10 dimensions; the Moods and Emotions domain and the Social acceptance/bullying domain, which were below norms. Children with autism spectrum disorder reported significantly lower health-related quality of life compared to norms and the developmental language disorders group. However, when the effects of non-verbal ability and language – on which the groups were not matched – were covaried most group differences fell to non-significance or disappeared. Child characteristics showed few associations with dimensions of health-related quality of life across groups. Conclusions Children with autism spectrum disorder may be particularly vulnerable to poorer health-related quality of life and the relevant professionals need to be aware of this. Children with developmental language disorders exhibit a profile of health-related quality of life more in-line with average ranges. However, certain domains warrant monitoring and may benefit from intervention. Many of the between-group differences in self-reported health-related quality of life disappeared when non-verbal and language ability were covaried, though neither of the covariates was systematically related to scores. Other within-child factors such as emotional understanding and competence should be explored in future studies. Implications Further research into child and contextual factors may elucidate risk or protective factors for health-related quality of life in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519851225","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43407078","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519889227
Kaitlyn A Clarke
Background & aims The purpose of this study is to summarize characteristics of language regression—a phenomenon most commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder, outline language theories of early word learning, and use them to propose theoretical bases to language regression. Method Using a systematic review of the current literature in language regression and a purposive sampling of language theories, hypotheses for the cause of language regression are discussed. Results The following hypotheses were developed based on the reviewed theories of word learning: (a) Initial first words were not true words, but instead were protowords; (b) fast mapped forms never progressed to truly learned words; (c) initial first words were echoed productions of heard words; (d) the described regression is actually a maintenance of previous developmental levels with increasing chronological age. Conclusions It is possible that individuals with autism spectrum disorder are not “losing” words, but instead are not progressing in their ability to learn and use new words. Early word learning in typically developing children is seemingly similar to early development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder; however, the ability to expand from early “intermediate words” to expansive vocabularies, word combinations, and morphological variations is impeded. Clinical implications for evaluation of word “loss” and treatments are discussed.
{"title":"A review of language regression in autism spectrum disorder and the role of language theories: Towards explanation","authors":"Kaitlyn A Clarke","doi":"10.1177/2396941519889227","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519889227","url":null,"abstract":"Background & aims The purpose of this study is to summarize characteristics of language regression—a phenomenon most commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder, outline language theories of early word learning, and use them to propose theoretical bases to language regression. Method Using a systematic review of the current literature in language regression and a purposive sampling of language theories, hypotheses for the cause of language regression are discussed. Results The following hypotheses were developed based on the reviewed theories of word learning: (a) Initial first words were not true words, but instead were protowords; (b) fast mapped forms never progressed to truly learned words; (c) initial first words were echoed productions of heard words; (d) the described regression is actually a maintenance of previous developmental levels with increasing chronological age. Conclusions It is possible that individuals with autism spectrum disorder are not “losing” words, but instead are not progressing in their ability to learn and use new words. Early word learning in typically developing children is seemingly similar to early development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder; however, the ability to expand from early “intermediate words” to expansive vocabularies, word combinations, and morphological variations is impeded. Clinical implications for evaluation of word “loss” and treatments are discussed.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519889227","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41574957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941519864084
Helen E Flanagan, I. Smith, Fiona Davidson
Background and aims We introduce the Assessment of Phase of Preschool Language (APPL), a rating form that characterizes children’s language according to a well-established framework recommended by Tager-Flusberg et al. (2009). The language benchmarks framework defines children’s language as falling at one of the Pre-verbal, First Words, Word Combinations, Sentences, or Complex Language phases for phonology, vocabulary, grammar, pragmatics, and overall language. The APPL is a flexible assessment tool that allows assessors to determine language phase using a range of assessment sources: natural language samples, standardized measures, and/or parent rating forms. Using the APPL, we examined language profiles in four- and five-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder and explored language development during a community-based Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention program. Methods Community speech-language pathologists completed the APPL with 95 four- and five-year-olds at the beginning of the treatment. The APPL was re-administered after a mean of 10 months of intervention (SD = 2 months) for 46 of these children. Children received treatment for up to 15 h per week in their homes and/or community childcare centers. Pivotal Response Treatment was the main form of intervention. The Picture Exchange Communication System or other augmentative and alternative communication systems were also used with many pre-verbal children. Results At the beginning of intervention, the most common language phase was Word Combinations (44%), followed by Pre-verbal (26%), Sentences (20%), and then First Words (10%). Only 24% of children had even profiles (i.e. phonology, vocabulary, grammar, and pragmatics skills at the same level). Phonology was a common area of relative strength, and pragmatics was a common area of relative weakness. Ten months of intervention was associated with gains in overall language phase for 37% of children. Approximately half gained at least one phase in Grammar (57%), Vocabulary (51%), and Phonology (46%), while Pragmatics improved for 33%. Gains varied based on initial language phase. Inclusion of skills using augmentative and alternative communication enhanced interpretation of change during intervention. Conclusions Four- and five-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder in this sample tended to have uneven skills across expressive language domains. Community-based Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention was associated with gains in language phase in older preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder. Gains varied across language domains and were influenced by initial language phase. Implications The Assessment of Phase of Preschool Language is a useful tool to support consistent application of the language benchmarks framework. It is important to consider all language domains when characterizing language skills and treatment impact in children with autism spectrum disorder.
{"title":"The Assessment of Phase of Preschool Language: Applying the language benchmarks framework to characterize language profiles and change in four- to five-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder","authors":"Helen E Flanagan, I. Smith, Fiona Davidson","doi":"10.1177/2396941519864084","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941519864084","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims We introduce the Assessment of Phase of Preschool Language (APPL), a rating form that characterizes children’s language according to a well-established framework recommended by Tager-Flusberg et al. (2009). The language benchmarks framework defines children’s language as falling at one of the Pre-verbal, First Words, Word Combinations, Sentences, or Complex Language phases for phonology, vocabulary, grammar, pragmatics, and overall language. The APPL is a flexible assessment tool that allows assessors to determine language phase using a range of assessment sources: natural language samples, standardized measures, and/or parent rating forms. Using the APPL, we examined language profiles in four- and five-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder and explored language development during a community-based Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention program. Methods Community speech-language pathologists completed the APPL with 95 four- and five-year-olds at the beginning of the treatment. The APPL was re-administered after a mean of 10 months of intervention (SD = 2 months) for 46 of these children. Children received treatment for up to 15 h per week in their homes and/or community childcare centers. Pivotal Response Treatment was the main form of intervention. The Picture Exchange Communication System or other augmentative and alternative communication systems were also used with many pre-verbal children. Results At the beginning of intervention, the most common language phase was Word Combinations (44%), followed by Pre-verbal (26%), Sentences (20%), and then First Words (10%). Only 24% of children had even profiles (i.e. phonology, vocabulary, grammar, and pragmatics skills at the same level). Phonology was a common area of relative strength, and pragmatics was a common area of relative weakness. Ten months of intervention was associated with gains in overall language phase for 37% of children. Approximately half gained at least one phase in Grammar (57%), Vocabulary (51%), and Phonology (46%), while Pragmatics improved for 33%. Gains varied based on initial language phase. Inclusion of skills using augmentative and alternative communication enhanced interpretation of change during intervention. Conclusions Four- and five-year-olds with autism spectrum disorder in this sample tended to have uneven skills across expressive language domains. Community-based Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Intervention was associated with gains in language phase in older preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder. Gains varied across language domains and were influenced by initial language phase. Implications The Assessment of Phase of Preschool Language is a useful tool to support consistent application of the language benchmarks framework. It is important to consider all language domains when characterizing language skills and treatment impact in children with autism spectrum disorder.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941519864084","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"41886098","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941518824497
Amanda V Binns, J. O. Oram Cardy
Background and aims Developmental social pragmatic interventions are one treatment option for supporting the social communication and language skills of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Our first aim was to differentiate interventions using a developmental social pragmatic model from other developmental or naturalistic behavioral approaches. We applied explicit criteria outlining core features of developmental social pragmatic interventions to identify programs that use these core features. We then systematically reviewed studies examining the impact of developmental social pragmatic interventions in supporting (a) foundational social communication and language skills of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and (b) caregiver interaction style. Additionally, we reviewed results exploring mediators and potential factors influencing children’s response to developmental social pragmatic interventions. Methods A multistep comprehensive search strategy was used to identify developmental social pragmatic treatments and studies examining their effectiveness for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. The characteristics of each study and their outcomes were then reviewed, and a modified Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool was used to evaluate rigor. Main contribution/Results Six interventions that met criteria to be classified as developmental social pragmatic are examined within this review. Ten studies of varying methodological rigor met criteria for inclusion and collectively reported on the outcomes of 716 preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder. All of the studies examined foundational communication outcomes and all but one reported positive outcomes for at least one of the measures. Seven studies examined language outcomes. While results were positive for language use within natural contexts, they were mixed for overall, receptive, and expressive language. Parents’ interaction styles significantly changed postintervention, namely in terms of increased responsiveness, synchronous behavior, use of affect, and decreased directiveness. Only two studies conducted formal mediation analysis and found that parent responsiveness and synchronous behavior were related to children’s positive response to treatment. Conclusions This review suggests that developmental social pragmatic treatments positively impact children’s foundational communication capacities (i.e. attention, social referencing, joint attention, initiation, reciprocity). Positive findings were not consistently found for supporting children’s language. Further, methodologically rigorous studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions. Additional research exploring components of developmental social pragmatic treatments that might mediate response to treatment is needed. Implications This review provides synthesized information for clinicians, families, and researchers on the effectiveness of developmental social pragmatic interventions
{"title":"Developmental social pragmatic interventions for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review","authors":"Amanda V Binns, J. O. Oram Cardy","doi":"10.1177/2396941518824497","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941518824497","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims Developmental social pragmatic interventions are one treatment option for supporting the social communication and language skills of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Our first aim was to differentiate interventions using a developmental social pragmatic model from other developmental or naturalistic behavioral approaches. We applied explicit criteria outlining core features of developmental social pragmatic interventions to identify programs that use these core features. We then systematically reviewed studies examining the impact of developmental social pragmatic interventions in supporting (a) foundational social communication and language skills of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder and (b) caregiver interaction style. Additionally, we reviewed results exploring mediators and potential factors influencing children’s response to developmental social pragmatic interventions. Methods A multistep comprehensive search strategy was used to identify developmental social pragmatic treatments and studies examining their effectiveness for preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. The characteristics of each study and their outcomes were then reviewed, and a modified Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool was used to evaluate rigor. Main contribution/Results Six interventions that met criteria to be classified as developmental social pragmatic are examined within this review. Ten studies of varying methodological rigor met criteria for inclusion and collectively reported on the outcomes of 716 preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder. All of the studies examined foundational communication outcomes and all but one reported positive outcomes for at least one of the measures. Seven studies examined language outcomes. While results were positive for language use within natural contexts, they were mixed for overall, receptive, and expressive language. Parents’ interaction styles significantly changed postintervention, namely in terms of increased responsiveness, synchronous behavior, use of affect, and decreased directiveness. Only two studies conducted formal mediation analysis and found that parent responsiveness and synchronous behavior were related to children’s positive response to treatment. Conclusions This review suggests that developmental social pragmatic treatments positively impact children’s foundational communication capacities (i.e. attention, social referencing, joint attention, initiation, reciprocity). Positive findings were not consistently found for supporting children’s language. Further, methodologically rigorous studies are needed to draw definitive conclusions. Additional research exploring components of developmental social pragmatic treatments that might mediate response to treatment is needed. Implications This review provides synthesized information for clinicians, families, and researchers on the effectiveness of developmental social pragmatic interventions ","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941518824497","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43793465","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2019-01-01DOI: 10.1177/2396941518822453
J. Dynia, Allison F. Bean, L. Justice, J. Kaderavek
Background and aims Phonological awareness begins to develop during the preschool years and is a primary factor underlying later reading abilities. Previous research has found mixed results on the phonological awareness skills of children with autism spectrum disorders. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to add to our understanding of phonological awareness in children with autism spectrum disorder by investigating residualized gains in phonological awareness skills over an academic year. Methods A total of 125 preschool (4- to 5-years old) children including 27 children with autism spectrum disorder, 28 children with language impairment, and 70 typically developing children were the focus of the present study. Participants in the current study represent a subset of participants from a larger study titled, Sit Together and Read. Children completed direct assessments in the beginning (fall) and end of school year (spring) on phonological awareness using the Test of Preschool Early Literacy. Results A one-way ANOVA compared the phonological awareness skills tasks (syllable/onset-rime, blending/elision, receptive/expressive) in the fall and the spring for each of the three groups (children with autism spectrum disorder, children with language impairment, children who are typically developing). In the fall and the spring, all of the analyses were found to be statistically significant. A Tukey HSD further indicated that children with autism spectrum disorder had significantly lower scores on all of the tasks at both time points compared to the typically developing peers. Children with autism spectrum disorder seem to make gains in phonological awareness tasks similarly to their typically developing peers for most of the phonological awareness tasks. Results from the final regression models indicated that children with autism spectrum disorder made gains similar to those of their typically developing peers for most phonological awareness tasks and that language skills predicted residualized gain for syllable, elision, and receptive tasks, as well as the total score when controlling for condition, IQ, and group status. Social skills were not a significant predictor for any of the tasks. Conclusions Three main findings emerged: (a) phonological awareness skills seem to be a deficit for children with autism spectrum disorder, (b) in general, autism status does not predict residualized gain in phonological awareness skills, and (c) oral language is a significant predictor of residualized gain in phonological awareness skills. Implication Early childhood educators should focus on providing high-quality instruction on phonological awareness for children with autism spectrum disorder and researchers should focus on investigating the effectiveness of phonological awareness interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder.
{"title":"Phonological awareness emergence in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder","authors":"J. Dynia, Allison F. Bean, L. Justice, J. Kaderavek","doi":"10.1177/2396941518822453","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/2396941518822453","url":null,"abstract":"Background and aims Phonological awareness begins to develop during the preschool years and is a primary factor underlying later reading abilities. Previous research has found mixed results on the phonological awareness skills of children with autism spectrum disorders. Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to add to our understanding of phonological awareness in children with autism spectrum disorder by investigating residualized gains in phonological awareness skills over an academic year. Methods A total of 125 preschool (4- to 5-years old) children including 27 children with autism spectrum disorder, 28 children with language impairment, and 70 typically developing children were the focus of the present study. Participants in the current study represent a subset of participants from a larger study titled, Sit Together and Read. Children completed direct assessments in the beginning (fall) and end of school year (spring) on phonological awareness using the Test of Preschool Early Literacy. Results A one-way ANOVA compared the phonological awareness skills tasks (syllable/onset-rime, blending/elision, receptive/expressive) in the fall and the spring for each of the three groups (children with autism spectrum disorder, children with language impairment, children who are typically developing). In the fall and the spring, all of the analyses were found to be statistically significant. A Tukey HSD further indicated that children with autism spectrum disorder had significantly lower scores on all of the tasks at both time points compared to the typically developing peers. Children with autism spectrum disorder seem to make gains in phonological awareness tasks similarly to their typically developing peers for most of the phonological awareness tasks. Results from the final regression models indicated that children with autism spectrum disorder made gains similar to those of their typically developing peers for most phonological awareness tasks and that language skills predicted residualized gain for syllable, elision, and receptive tasks, as well as the total score when controlling for condition, IQ, and group status. Social skills were not a significant predictor for any of the tasks. Conclusions Three main findings emerged: (a) phonological awareness skills seem to be a deficit for children with autism spectrum disorder, (b) in general, autism status does not predict residualized gain in phonological awareness skills, and (c) oral language is a significant predictor of residualized gain in phonological awareness skills. Implication Early childhood educators should focus on providing high-quality instruction on phonological awareness for children with autism spectrum disorder and researchers should focus on investigating the effectiveness of phonological awareness interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder.","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2019-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1177/2396941518822453","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45955933","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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