Communication Modality Sampling for a Toddler With Angelman Syndrome (original) (raw)
2013, Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools
Purpose: Vocal, gestural, and graphic communication modes were implemented concurrently with a toddler with Angelman syndrome to identify the most efficiently learned communication mode to emphasize in an initial augmentative communication system. Method: Symbols representing preferred objects were introduced in vocal, gestural, and graphic communication modes using an alternating treatment single-subject experimental design. Conventionally accepted prompting strategies were used to teach symbols in each communication mode. Because the learner did not vocally imitate, vocal mode intervention focused on increasing vocal frequency as an initial step. Results: When graphic and gestural mode performances were compared, the learner most accurately produced requests in graphic mode (percentage of nonoverlapping data = 96). Given the lack of success in prompting vocal productions, a comparison between vocal and the other two communication modes was not made. Conclusion: A growing body of evidence suggests that concurrent modality sampling is a promising low-inference, data-driven procedure that can be used to inform selection of a communication mode(s) for initial emphasis with young children. Concurrent modality sampling can guide clinical decisions regarding the allocation of treatment resources to promote success in building an initial communicative repertoire.
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Quantitative Measurement of Communication Ability in Children with Angelman Syndrome
Journal of Applied Research in Intellectual Disabilities
Background Angelman syndrome is a rare disorder in which most individuals do not develop speech. Testing of communication ability using traditional neuropsychological measures reveals a performance level at or near the floor of the instrument resulting in an inability to detect change when experimental therapeutics are applied. Methods Nine individuals, with molecularly confirmed AS, ranging in age from 34 to 126 months, and a single healthy control child (age 16 months) were audio and video-recorded while interacting with a licensed speechlanguage pathologist in an attempt to elicit vocalization and non-verbal communication. Thirty-minute audio recordings were transcribed and categorized per the Stark Assessment of Early Vocal Development-Revised and a phonetic inventory was created. Using video recordings, gestures were classified by function, either behavioral regulation or social interaction and further categorized as deictic or representational (i.e., behavioral regulation) and joint attention or shared engagement (i.e., social interaction). Results The range of vocalizations produced by the children with AS was characteristic of children between 0-6 months and none of the children with AS used advanced forms of vocalizations. The mean frequency of reflexive vocalizations, control of phonation and expansion far exceeded the number of uses of canonical syllables, consistant with the characteristics of children around 12 months of age. Most vocalizations were either laughter or isolated vowels, only three children with AS produced consonant-vowel combinations. Children with AS tended to use central and low vowels with few producing high vowels, suggesting the presence of childhood apraxia of speech. Conclusion Our results show the utilization of videorecorded behavioral observations provides a feasible and reliable alternative for quantification of communication ability in this patient population and may be employed during future clinical studies of potential therapeutics.
International Interdisciplinary Journal of Education, 2015
Abstract_ Children with limited vocal verbal repertoires often benefit from the use of alternative forms of communication. Learning the sets of skills needed to use static and/or dynamic communication systems may result in improved communication for some individuals who lack vocal verbal capabilities. In order to teach many of the skills within these sets of repertoires, hundreds of learning opportunities that target multiple units of language are required. One male student, 8.1 years of age at onset, participated in this teaching protocol study. This student was selected for inclusion based on his limited verbal (including vocal and motor) skills. The participant's repertoires were limited to mands ( -to-sample, point to stimuli, and tact stimuli (i.e., Multiple Exemplar Instruction) for two word combinations for more than 100 units of language. Postintervention data showed the teaching protocol presented resulted in an increase in verbal behavior with a decrease in maladaptive behaviors.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 2009
This review sought to determine the evidence base of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) use with infants and toddlers with disabilities. The review identified 12 studies, involving 190 participants aged 36 months or younger. The majority of the studies investigated unaided AAC methods (e.g., gestures or sign language), with 42% of the studies also including aided AAC methods. Although all studies reported improvement in child communication following AAC intervention, in-depth analyses of study methodology indicated that only 7 out of 12 provided conclusive evidence. Implications for early intervention AAC practice and suggestions for future research are proposed.
2017
The current study spanning 6 years 8 months reviewed technologies developed for emergence of speech in non-vocal children with autism. A total 144 children were selected of whom 126 met the inclusion criteria and completed the study. Non-vocal children between ages 1.4-13.5 years participated in four experiments that used delayed multiple baseline design across subjects. Mastery criteria for vocalization for each participant was n=7 first instances of speech. Experiment 1 studied the role of stimulus-stimulus pairing (SSP) during sign-mand training on vocal emergence in 58 participants of whom 83% acquired vocal status. Experiment 2 studied the effect of prompt-delays during sign-mand training on 3 children who failed to acquire vocals on experiment 1 for 9-33 weeks. Introduction of prompt-delays were effective in inducing vocals in all three children. Experiment 3 studied the additive effect of intraverbal training with paired auditory stimulus on 46 children who failed to acquire ...
Journal of Speech Language and Hearing Research
Purpose This study investigated the early rule-based sentence productions of 3- and 4-year-old children with severe speech disorders who used single-meaning graphic symbols to communicate. Method Ten 3- and 4-year-olds requiring the use of augmentative and alternative communication, who had largely intact receptive language skills, received instruction in producing up to four different semantic–syntactic targets using an Apple iPad with a communication app. A single-case, multiple-probe, across-targets design was used to assess the progress of each participant and target. Generalization to new vocabulary was assessed, and a subgroup also was taught to produce sentences using grammatical markers. Results Some targets (primarily possessor-entity) were mastered in the baseline phase, and the majority of the remaining targets were mastered during intervention. All four children who completed intervention for grammatical markers quickly learned to use the markers accurately. Conclusions ...
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