Research: Replacing Prelinguistic Behaviors with Functional Communication

This paper describes how teachers can be trained to improve communication skills of young children with autism, and consequently decrease their disruptive behavior. Specifically, the study examined the effectiveness of a teacher-implemented therapy designed for children who are not yet able to talk.

This type of therapy is called functional communication training (FCT). It focuses on training teachers to recognize a childâ??s subtle attempts at communication and replace these attempts with the use of sign language or picture boards. Previous studies have demonstrated that as the child acquires these alternative forms of communication, there is a decrease in challenging behavior. The results of this study suggested that FCT was effective for the four young children in the study. The authors emphasize that an important component of this approach is to tailor the alternative communication to the child.