Autism Therapy: spoken words

definition of spoken words: not yet defined.

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The Effect of Teaching PECS to a Child with Autism on Verbal Behavior, Play, and Social Functioning
Behavior Change, by Jurgens, A., Anderson A., and Moore DW, published in 2009, summarized Jul 8, 2010

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) may help children with autism learn to speak and play and be more social.

The purpose of this case study was to teach communication skills to a three-year-old child with autism using PECS, and to see if PECS training led to wider behavior changes. The therapists taught PECS using highly preferred items to help the child want to learn. The study found that PECS training came with increased verbal behaviors from the child. This result agrees with other research that says that spoken words increase after PECS training. The authors also found that the child was more social and played more after PECS training.


Enhancing the Alternative and Augmentative Communication Use of a Child with Autism through a Parent-implemented Naturalistic Intervention
International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, by Nunes, D., and Hanline MF, published in 2007, summarized Sep 19, 2007

Parents can use alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) to improve their child's ability to communicate.

This study was designed to see if a parent could do a good job using AAC at home. The authors looked to see how AAC changed the daily routine of a 4-year old boy with autism. They found that when the parent was taught AAC, she tended to use AAC as her main approach to working with her son. For example, she increased her use of the AAC system to ask questions. The authors found that the boy used more gestures and more spoken words at the end of the 20 sessions.


Brief Report: Increase in Production of Spoken Words in Some Children with Autism after PECS Teaching to Phase III
J Autism Dev Disord, by Carr, D., and Felce J., published in 2007, summarized Jun 13, 2007

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) may help come children with autism learn to speak.

This study was designed to see if PECS therapy is able to help children with autism learn to speak. Of the 24 students given PECS therapy for 4-5 weeks, 5 learned to speak better. Only one child out of 24 increased the use of spoken words during the time when PECS therapy was not used (control period). These data agree with other studies that found that some children are able to learn to speak with the help of PECS therapy. The authors note that many children with autism are not able to learn to speak via PECS therapy.


A Randomized Comparison of the Effect of Two Prelinguistic Communication Interventions on the Acquisition of Spoken Communication in Preschoolers with ASD
J Speech Lang Hear Res., by Yoder, P., and Stone WL, published in 2006, summarized Nov 7, 2006

This article describes a study showing that the picture-exchange communication system (PECS) can help some children with autism develop speech, and may be more effective than Responsive Education and Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching (RPMT).

The study focuses on 36 children with autism (1.5-5 years old). Half of these children received PECS training for 6 months, and half received RPMT. Free-play sessions during this 6-month period were videotaped, and scorers counted the number of spoken words. Scorers also wrote down which words were spoken in each session. Children who received PECS training spoke significantly more often and used significantly more words than those who received RPMT. However, the authors note that six months after the end of the training period, both groups of children had reached similar (improved) levels of speech development. This pattern suggests that PECS may help children with autism develop speech more quickly than RPMT does.


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Colorado Family Uses Son-Rise Program as Therapy for Their Son with Autism

Jan 14, 2010

After not having much success with applied behavior analysis (ABA) therapy, the Downing family received training in the Son-Rise Program to assist their son with autism. The Son-Rise approach encouraged the Downings and their older son to meet Saxton, their 5-year-old, at his level. With support from their community, the Downings are creating a special playroom for Saxton; it will have an observation window so that observers can watch the Downings or other volunteers work with Saxton. His parents say that they have joined him in stimming and in singing, which he seems to understand better than spoken words. Although they've only just started this program, the Downings see an improvement, “The other day he said, 'I like that song' - a full sentence. His grandfather says that even his smile seems different."

Read original article: An Alternative for Autism


Morning DJ Provides Motivation for a Boy's Speech

Apr 14, 2008

Dallas Derringer's first spoken words were a radio DJ's signature line, "batta-boom, batta-bing." Dallas, a 2-year old with autism, had not spoken and his speech therapist was trying to encourage him to sing when DJ Peter B.'s every-morning words came out of his mouth. When Dallas who listened to Peter B every day heard he was leaving the station, Dallas created a video of music and pictures to honor his hero and to help him deal with the upcoming change in his routine. Dallas, a patient at the University of Louisville's Weisskopf Child Evaluation Center, posted his video on YouTube and presented a copy to the radio station's Web site.

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