Effects of a Contingent Responses Intervention on the Quantity and Quality of Vocalizations of Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Jena McDaniel

Abstract

Multiple contemporary theories emphasize the quantity and quality of child vocalizations for promoting spoken language acquisition. Yet, empirical evidence for facilitating vocal development is strikingly lacking including for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who have difficulty developing language. We evaluate use of contingent responses and vocal enhancement strategies to increase the quantity and quality of child vocalizations to which adults can respond with language-facilitating input for children with ASD. Three preschool children with ASD and minimal verbal skills participated. Using an alternating treatments design embedded within a multiple probe across participants design, we compared using contingent responses with and without vocal enhancement strategies versus a non-contingent control condition. Based on visual analysis and effect sizes, all participants showed a functional relation between both active intervention conditions and quantity of vocalizations, as predicted. For quality of vocalizations, changes under the active intervention conditions were less pronounced than those observed for quantity. Two participants showed a functional relation between at least one quality variable and the active interventions. Our hypothesis that vocal enhancement strategies would exhibit a value-added effect was partially supported for quantity and quality. Findings support using contingent responses to improve the quantity and to some degree the quality of vocalizations in young children with ASD and minimal verbal skills. Support for the added value of vocal enhancement strategies was mixed. Refining the intervention strategies is warranted to meet the needs of the understudied population of children with ASD and minimal verbal skills.

摘要

多种当代理论强调儿童发声的数量和质量，以促进口语习得。然而，促进发声发育的经验证据明显缺乏，包括患有自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的儿童。我们评估了条件反应和声音增强策略的使用，以提高儿童发声的数量和质量，成年人可以对自闭症儿童的语言促进输入做出反应。三名患有自闭症和最低语言能力的学龄前儿童参加了研究。使用嵌入在跨参与者设计的多探针中的交替处理设计，我们比较了使用有和没有声音增强策略的条件反应与非条件控制条件。根据视觉分析和效果大小，所有参与者都显示出积极干预条件和发声量之间的函数关系，正如所预测的那样。就发声质量而言，积极干预条件下的变化不如观察到的数量明显。两名参与者显示了至少一个质量变量与积极干预之间的函数关系。我们的假设，声音增强策略将显示增值效应部分支持数量和质量。研究结果支持使用条件反应来提高自闭症和最低语言技能幼儿的发声数量和质量。对人声增强策略附加值的支持褒贬不一。改进干预策略是有保证的，以满足研究不足的自闭症和最低语言技能儿童群体的需求。