Project Activities
Twenty-four children with autism spectrum disorder and twenty-four children with mild to moderate cognitive impairments will be recruited. Each participant will receive two language interventions – receptive language intervention and expressive language intervention. The two interventions will be compared using a parallel treatments design. The design includes multiple replications within participant. Each participant is given both interventions in a single session and the administration of the two interventions is counter-balanced across sessions. Data analysis will primarily involve visual inspection of the data. In addition, the Revusky Rn test for each treatment and each participant will be used to indicate statistical significance.
Structured Abstract
Setting
Instruction will be provided in a one-on-one setting within an intervention room designed for preschool children in Tennessee.
Sample
Participants will be 24 children with autism spectrum disorder and 24 children with mild to moderate cognitive impairments. Children will range in age from 3 to 6 years. All participants will have a need for receptive and expressive language intervention, have the ability to imitate adult's vocal behavior, and be likely to enroll in intervention for a minimum of 6 to 8 months.
Intervention
Two interventions will be compared: receptive language intervention and expressive language intervention. During the receptive language intervention, the adult will use the constant time delay procedure in a naturalistic context. For each learning trial, the adult will present an array of four objects or pictures in front of the child, secure the child's attention, and say, "Where is (name of object or picture)?". The child's response will be recorded as correct, prompted but error response, or no response. Prompted and unprompted correct responses will be reinforced, and other responses will be ignored. Each session will involve 20 trials.
Research design and methods
The proposed experimental design is a parallel treatments design, which is used to compare two independent variables. In this proposal, the two independent variables of interest are receptive language intervention and expressive language intervention. The design includes multiple replications within participant. Each participant is given both interventions in a single session and the administration of the two interventions is counter-balanced across sessions.
Control condition
The pre-intervention probe conditions serve as a control condition for each of the two independent variables. In the pre-intervention probe condition, participants receive multiple assessments but do not receive instruction.
Key measures
Child outcomes will be measured with direct systematic observation using event recording. The observation will cover a wide range of variables that focus on all aspects of learning (i.e., acquisition, maintenance, and generalization).
Data analytic strategy
Data analysis will primarily involve visual inspection of the data. In addition, the Revusky Rn test for each treatment and each participant will be conducted. The combination of these analyses is used to provide more evidence that the interventions likely produced the change in a participant's performance.
People and institutions involved
IES program contact(s)
Products and publications
Products: The products of this project include a fully developed language intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders and with cognitive impairments, published reports, and presentations.
Journal article, monograph, or newsletter
Davis, T.N., Lancaster, H.S., and Camarata, S. (2016). Expressive and Receptive Vocabulary Learning in Children With Diverse Disability Typologies. International Journal of Developmental Disabilities, 62(2): 77-88. doi:2047387715Y-0000000010
Supplemental information
During the expressive language intervention, the adult will also use the constant time delay procedure in a naturalistic context. For each learning trial, the adult will present an array of four objects or pictures in front of the child, secure the child's attention, and say, "What is this?". The child's response will be recorded as prompted correct response, prompted but error response, and no response. Prompted correct responses will be reinforced, and other responses will be ignored. Each session will involve 20 trials.
Three experimental conditions will be used: probe conditions, receptive intervention conditions, and expressive intervention conditions. The study will start with assessment of all behaviors of all sets in a probe (baseline) and will continue until a stable data pattern is achieved. Next, the initial intervention comparison phase is applied to two behavior sets that have been matched in difficulty. Receptive language intervention will be used with one behavior set, and expressive language intervention with a second set. Each clinic session will be 20 minutes: 10 minutes devoted to the implementation of the receptive language intervention and 10 minutes devoted to the implementation of the expressive language intervention. When 100% criterion is achieved with both behavior sets, the baseline probe condition is reinstated. After the second probe condition, the intervention conditions are repeated using two different behavior sets. This design pattern is repeated across four replications.
Questions about this project?
To answer additional questions about this project or provide feedback, please contact the program officer.
