Autism and Developmental Language Impairments最新文献

{"title":"Teaching receptive vocabulary to two autistic children: A replicated, clinic-based, single case experimental design.","authors":"Rebecca Gray, Deirdre M Muldoon","doi":"10.1177/23969415241258699","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241258699","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>This study was conducted in a clinical setting with the aim of replicating previously used procedures for teaching receptive vocabulary. Researchers increased the number of vocabulary words and maintained use of match-to-sample (MtS), prompting, and reinforcement procedures. Researchers were also interested in the efficacy of the intervention from caregivers' perspectives.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a concurrent multiple baseline design, two autistic preschoolers with receptive language impairment were taught to identify 30 common objects. MtS, prompting, and reinforcement procedures were individualized to support each child. Maintenance checks and generalization probes were completed after a predetermined number of intervention sessions (i.e. three or four clinic sessions). A social validity questionnaire was completed by parents following the final maintenance check.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Receptive object identification improved significantly for both participants. Despite exposure to vocabulary targets for only three or four sessions, they generalized the vocabulary targets to non-identical pictures and maintained words at maintenance checks. Participants were most successful when researchers individualized prompting and reinforcement.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>MtS, prompting, and reinforcement were effective procedures for improving object identification, even with a limited number of intervention sessions. To support varying learner profiles, modifying prompting and reinforcement procedures was necessary. Caregivers of both participants reported positive improvements in areas such as communication, attention, and behaviors.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>This replicated study provides support for MtS, prompting, and reinforcement as means of teaching receptive vocabulary to autistic preschoolers in a clinical setting. The materials used were simple and cost-effective. Overall, this study outlines and supports a flexible and effective evidence-based practice to teach receptive language to autistic children.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241258699"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11131401/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141162629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Natural language acquisition and gestalt language processing: A critical analysis of their application to autism and speech language therapy<sup />.","authors":"Tiffany L Hutchins, Sophie E Knox, E Cheryl Fletcher","doi":"10.1177/23969415241249944","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241249944","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aim: </strong>Recently, there has been a lot of interest surrounding the term gestalt language processor (GLP) which is associated with Natural Language Acquisition (NLA): a protocol intended to support the language development of autistic people. In NLA, delayed echolalia is presumed raw source material that GLPs use to acquire language in a stage-like progression from delayed echolalia to spontaneous speech. The aim of this article is to evaluate NLA in light of relevant literatures to allow scrutiny of NLA claims.</p><p><strong>Main contributions: </strong>First, we review the notion of gestalt language and situate it in the broader literature on language styles to update understanding of its significance. We then review the links from gestalt language processing to autism and identify definitional and conceptual problems and clarify the construct 'episodic memory'. We discuss the 'raw material view of delayed echolalia' and identify theoretical and empirical shortcomings. Finally, we review Blanc's language stages and their accompanying assessment and language support recommendations and challenge their validity.</p><p><strong>Conclusions & implications: </strong>The term 'gestalt language processor' is definitionally and conceptually troubled, the assertion that autistic people are GLPs is misleading and unhelpful, and evidence is lacking that GLP represents a legitimate clinical entity. The theoretical basis of NLA lacks empirical support. NLA stages are implausible and their accompanying assessment and support recommendations lack justification. We recommend the use of alternate, individualized, theoretically-sound, evidence-based, neurodiversity-affirming supports that are sensitive and responsive to the heterogeneity that defines autism.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241249944"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11113044/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141088190","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Factors associated with receptive and expressive language in autistic children and siblings: A systematic review.","authors":"Marjolein Muès, Sarah Schaubroeck, Ellen Demurie, Herbert Roeyers","doi":"10.1177/23969415241253554","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241253554","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background & aims: </strong>Language abilities of autistic children and children at elevated likelihood for autism (EL-siblings) are highly heterogeneous, and many of them develop language deficits. It is as of yet unclear why language abilities of autistic children and EL-siblings vary, although an interaction of multiple influential factors is likely at play. In this review, we describe research articles that identify one or multiple of such factors associated with the receptive or expressive language abilities of autistic children and EL-siblings since the introduction of the <i>DSM-5</i>. Our aim was to identify and summarize factors that are linked to language development in autistic children and siblings in the recent literature to ultimately gain insight into the heterogeneity of language abilities in these children.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>The search strategy of this review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. The following databases were consulted: Embase, MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria for studies were the presence of a sample of autistic children no older than 7 years old who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder per the criteria of the <i>DSM-5</i>. Intervention studies and studies without an explicitly reported language measure were excluded. Risk of bias assessment was completed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scales. Ultimately, 55 articles were included in this review.</p><p><strong>Main contribution: </strong>Fifty-six factors were identified to be related to receptive or expressive language abilities of autistic children and EL-siblings. They were grouped into three main categories: biological factors; psychosocial and environmental factors; and age-related and developmental factors, each with different subcategories. Although many of the identified variables were only examined in one article, some well-researched associated factors were reported across multiple studies and were present in both autistic children and EL-siblings, in particular joint attention, nonverbal cognitive abilities and frontal EEG power. Better insight in these factors associated with language abilities in autistic children and siblings at elevated likelihood can inform future intervention strategies to reduce language deficits and its corresponding negative consequences in these children.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our results confirm that multiple different factors likely underlie language deficits in autism. Important aspects that should be considered are, among others, social factors such as joint attention, child characteristics such as nonverbal cognition, and neurocognitive factors.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241253554"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11092550/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140923232","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Empowering Hong Kong Chinese families with autism: A preliminary study of the online Hanen More Than Words Program.","authors":"Xin Qi, Qiwei Zhao, Carol K S To","doi":"10.1177/23969415241245096","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415241245096","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>Parent involvement is crucial for tailored early intervention programs. The Hanen More Than Words (HMTW) program is a parent-implemented language intervention for autistic children. The current study examined the effectiveness of the HMTW program delivered online among Chinese families.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a randomized controlled trial design, 22 Chinese families of autistic children in Hong Kong completed the trial. Baseline and post-intervention assessments were conducted to measure changes in parent-child interaction, parents' use of linguistic facilitation techniques (LFTs), and children's communication skills. Additionally, the influence of parental self-efficacy and parenting stress on treatment outcomes was explored.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The intervention group demonstrated significant improvements in parent-child attention synchrony. Although the treatment effect on children's spontaneous communication was not significant, the intervention group showed a larger effect size compared to the controls. The treatment outcomes were mainly influenced by the parents' initial levels of self-efficacy but not by parenting stress.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These findings provide preliminary evidence of the effectiveness of the online-delivered HMTW program for Chinese parents of autistic children. Further research involving a larger sample and focusing on long-term effects is needed.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241245096"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11025426/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140871391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The suitability and acceptability of a co-designed prototype psychoeducational activity book for autistic children aged five-eleven years.","authors":"Lauren Powell, Gemma Wheeler, Chris Redford, Jonathan Stott","doi":"10.1177/23969415241234648","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241234648","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Evidence suggests that autistic children and young people (CAYP) can benefit from age-appropriate psychoeducation. Co-design is a methodology that iteratively involves end users and stakeholders in producing an intervention which may increase engagement and impact. Few age-appropriate co-designed psychoeducation resources for autistic CAYP exist. Therefore, a paper-based resource was co-designed for autistic CAYP who attend mainstream primary education. The resource aims to educate CAYP about their autism and provide strategies to support them to live well with their autism.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This paper describes the evaluation of the prototype resource through online workshops with 12 families and input from four specialist clinicians. The suitability and acceptability of the resource was explored, and sketch notes were taken for respondent validity and engagement purposes.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A reflexive thematic analysis identified six themes and two subthemes: (1) content appropriateness (subtheme: strategies and unpredictability); (2) relating to content, (3) feelings and emotions, (4) terminology (subtheme: literal thinking); (5) positivity, and (6) communication aid. Suggested improvements were also identified. Results suggest the resource is suitable and acceptable.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Future intervention development research may consider individual differences of autistic CAYP and the co-design of resources for other age groups of neurodiverse populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241234648"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10903197/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139997722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The importance and challenges of observing social interactions in autistic preschoolers during inclusive educational settings: A scoping review.","authors":"Stella Tsamitrou, Marie-Hélène Plumet","doi":"10.1177/23969415241227077","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241227077","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background and aims: &lt;/strong&gt;A growing number of autistic children have access to inclusive education programs as early as kindergarten. However, little is known about how they actually participate in social interactions and develop their communicative skills according to the parameters of this environment. The aim of this article is to review observational studies on this topic and critically analyze their methodological choices by arguing on the aspects of communication skills noted in the observation grids. Disparities in the information collected depending on the method used have implications for understanding and supporting autistic children in an inclusive school environment.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;Observational studies on social interactions of autistic preschoolers within inclusive preschool settings were scoped. The studies were analyzed according to the following parameters: aims of observation, method used for coding, communication partners considered (adults and peers), type of children's social engagement (initiatives and responses), diversity of communicative forms and communication functions, distinction and comparison of interactional contexts related to the activities, and whether changes linked to developmental variables are studied on an interindividual or longitudinal basis.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Seventeen studies using the observation method in inclusive preschool settings were identified. Recordingmethods are mostly based on video recording. The coding grids mainly focus on autistic children while partners' behaviors (adults, peers) are often coded in less detail, thus providing littleinformation on their dynamic role in the interactions. Overall, autistic children were found to initiate interactions much less often than they respond to it. The data generally distinguish thecommunicative forms used by children and indicate a predominance of nonverbal means at preschool level. However, a few studies coded communicative functions, whether they areaddressed to children or produced by them. In addition, very few studies compare interactions across activity contexts. In addition, very few studies compare interactions across activity contexts.Results of some studies showed that children initiated interaction more frequently during free play than during work activity, but results are heterogeneous. Developmental trajectories in socialskills seem to be associated with the severity of autism and language skills, but longitudinal designs are still rare.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions and implications: &lt;/strong&gt;Direct and fine-grained observation in the classroom is a key source of information about how communication takes place in preschool-inclusive settings. The data, despite some methodological challenges, offer opportunities for better adjustment based on professional objectives. Our review highlights the importance of offering occasions for initiatives to autistic children and training of neurotypical pe","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241227077"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10900867/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139991323","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The diversity of speech-perception difficulties among autistic individuals.","authors":"George J Bendo, Alexandra Sturrock, Graham Hanks, Christopher J Plack, Emma Gowen, Hannah Guest","doi":"10.1177/23969415241227074","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241227074","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background & aims: &lt;/strong&gt;Communicative and sensory differences are core autistic traits, yet speech-perception abilities and difficulties among autistic individuals remain poorly understood. Laboratory studies have produced mixed and inconclusive results, in part because of the lack of input from autistic individuals in defining the hypotheses and shaping the methods used in this field of research. Little in-depth qualitative research on autistic experiences of speech perception has been published, yet such research could form the basis for better laboratory research, for improved understanding of autistic experiences, and for the development of interventions. Existing qualitative research describes widespread autistic listening differences with significant impacts, but these results rely on data gathered via oral interviews in a small sample. The present study addresses these limitations and employs a mixed-methods approach to explore autistic listening experiences.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;We gathered survey data from 79 autistic individuals aged 18-55 without diagnosed hearing loss. The questionnaire included 20 closed-set questions on listening abilities and difficulties and three free-text questions on listening experiences. The free-text questions underwent deductive content analysis using a framework composed of themes from previous interview data on listening experiences (including auditory differences, contributing factors, impacts, and coping strategies). Concepts in the free-text data that were not part of the analysis framework were analyzed inductively.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;In the closed-set data, participants reported listening difficulties in most specified environments, but complex background sounds and particularly background voices caused the most difficulty. Those who reported listening difficulties expressed having substantially greater difficulties than other people the same age. Participants indicated multiple impacts from listening difficulties, most prominently in their social lives. Concepts in the free-text data strongly supported previous interview data on listening differences and factors that affect listening ability, especially the diversity of types of listening difficulties. Consistent with the closed-set data, background-sound complexity and concurrent voices were especially troubling. Some concepts in the free-text data were novel, particularly difficulties with remote, broadcast, and recorded audio, prompting the creation of new themes.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusions: &lt;/strong&gt;Both forms of data indicate widespread listening differences-predominantly listening difficulties-affecting most autistic adults. Diverse types of listening difficulty are evident, potentially indicating heterogeneous underlying mechanisms, and complexity of background noise is consistently identified as an important factor. Listening difficulties are said to have substantial and varied impacts. Autistic adults a","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241227074"},"PeriodicalIF":2.5,"publicationDate":"2024-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10822079/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139571886","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Examining gender effects in autistic written language skills: A small sample exploratory study.","authors":"Johanna R Price, Emily C Biebesheimer, Kong Chen","doi":"10.1177/23969415241227071","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415241227071","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Gender differences in the written language of autistic individuals are an overlooked but important area of research. We contend that the gender differences in spoken language of autistic individuals may extend to written language, mirroring the gender differences of writing in the general population and reflecting the shared dimensionality of oral and written language. Our research question was: Do autistic adolescent females demonstrate written language characteristics, across persuasive, expository, and narrative genres, that are distinct from those of autistic adolescent males and non-autistic (NA) adolescent females?</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed a secondary, exploratory analysis on writing samples collected from 18 participants (11 autistic males, three autistic females, and four NA females) from a larger investigation of autistic adolescents' writing skills. Each participant completed three writing samples-one persuasive, one expository, and one narrative (for a total of 54 writing samples). We compared sample length (total number of words), writing productivity (words written per minute), syntactic length (mean length of T-unit in words), vocabulary diversity (type-token ratio), and macrostructure of autistic females' samples to autistic males' and NA females' samples.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Based on non-parametric analyses using variable medians, autistic males, but not autistic females, wrote significantly shorter expository samples than NA females. Autistic males' writing productivity was significantly lower in the persuasive and expository genres than both autistic females and NA females. Several other comparisons of sample length, productivity, vocabulary diversity, and persuasive and narrative macrostructure yielded large effect sizes but were not statistically significant.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Though our small sample sizes prevent us from drawing generalizable conclusions, we observed that some gender-specific findings of the current study differ from previous findings based on a single autistic group (females and males combined). Combining data of autistic females with autistic males may cloud the distinct written language characteristics of each group.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>Our findings, especially when situated in the context of relevant literature, suggest that larger-scale investigation of gender differences in written language is essential in order to more fully describe the unique characteristics of autistic females. Clinicians should be prepared to support autistic writers' needs for producing written language to meet their developmental, academic, social, and employment-related goals.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415241227071"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10860466/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139724400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Developing a new questionnaire of positive contributions to Chinese families by children with autism spectrum disorder.","authors":"Shulan Zeng, Afsheen Sardar, Amoneeta Beckstein, Noor Hassline Mohamed, Renhong Shen, Yunhui Xiu","doi":"10.1177/23969415231221520","DOIUrl":"10.1177/23969415231221520","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Background and aims: &lt;/strong&gt;A literature review of both Eastern and Western literature regarding families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) revealed limited empirical research that examines ASD in China. Furthermore, most research in this area comes from a deficit model and there is a lack of research that comes from a strengths background. No previous study in China has looked at the positive contributions of children with ASD to their families. The present study came from a strengths-based perspective and aimed to develop a new questionnaire to evaluate the positive contributions made to families by children who have ASD in China and are raised by their respective families. It considered the severity level of the children's disorder and the impact this had on the parents. Besides examining the children's impairment levels, the study also examined positive contributions and their relationship with socio-demographic elements such as family income and employment status of the parents, which also seem to be related to the positive contributions experienced by the parents.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Methods: &lt;/strong&gt;First, based on the literature review, an initial qualitative interview protocol was developed and administered to 10 parents of children with ASD. Then, based on the analyses of the interviews, a quantitative questionnaire was developed to assess the positive contributions of children with ASD to their families. The questionnaire was then administered to 156 parents of children with ASD. The internal structure of the questionnaire was analyzed by factor analysis. The questionnaire's reliability and validity were also examined. The data were then analyzed with multiple correlation comparisons and an independent sample T-test.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Results: &lt;/strong&gt;Six factors emerged for families of children with ASD. The results showed that the cumulative explanatory variance of the six dimensions of the questionnaire was 65.42%. The Cronbach's coefficient of each dimension was between 0.7 and 0.9, and the combined Cronbach's coefficient of the total questionnaire was 0.945. This study found that the overall average positive contribution to families by children with ASD was 3.32, which is at a medium level, and all six dimensions were at a medium-to-high level. This study also found that the family's monthly income contributed to the &lt;i&gt;overall positive contribution, intimacy and happiness,&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;gaining more special knowledge through experience&lt;/i&gt; dimensions. Furthermore, it was found that moderate severity of ASD, high income, and parental employment were all associated with more positive contributions.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Conclusion: &lt;/strong&gt;This new questionnaire appears to have good reliability and validity and seems suitable for assessing the positive contributions to families by children with ASD in China.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Implications: &lt;/strong&gt;The present study may be helpful for the parents of children with ASD and will ","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"9 ","pages":"23969415231221520"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10768583/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139378438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Predictors of Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) outcomes.","authors":"Julie Koudys, Adrienne Perry, Carly Magnacca, Kristen McFee","doi":"10.1177/23969415231221516","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415231221516","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background & aims: </strong>Although the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) has been demonstrated to be an effective intervention to teach people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder a functional communication system, the research indicates variability in PECS outcomes across people and studies. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to explore child characteristics and treatment variables that may explain the variation in, and potentially predict, PECS outcomes.</p><p><strong>Method: </strong>A total of 22 children and youth diagnosed with autism or a related developmental disorder, all of whom scored substantially below average on standardized measures of cognitive and adaptive abilities, participated in a PECS intervention.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Participants who achieved high phases of PECS (≥PECS phase IIIb) differed significantly from those who mastered lower PECS phases (≤PECS phase IIIa) in terms of overall, verbal, and nonverbal mental age, matching abilities, and adaptive behavior level. Stimulus generalization was also associated with significant variation in PECS outcome. PECS outcomes could be predicted with good accuracy using a combination of these child characteristics and treatment variables.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The findings from the current study suggest that children with relatively higher cognitive and adaptive skill levels are more likely to achieve higher phases of PECS; further, approaches to generalization training also play a role. Factors such as autism symptom severity and parental ratings of maladaptive behavior were not associated with significant differences in PECS outcomes. However, more research is needed.</p><p><strong>Implications: </strong>Gaining a better understanding of predictors of PECS outcomes is important to inform intervention, provide more accurate outcome expectations for families, and guide PECS teaching procedures. Although participants were more likely to achieve higher phases of PECS if they had a higher mental age, adaptive skill level, and matching skills, the average scores for these measures were well below those expected for same age peers. These results indicate that PECS is appropriate for use with children with clinically significant deficits in cognitive and/or adaptive abilities. Further, results suggest that even children who demonstrate more severe symptoms of autism and exhibit more challenging behavior can achieve higher phases of PECS.</p>","PeriodicalId":36716,"journal":{"name":"Autism and Developmental Language Impairments","volume":"8 ","pages":"23969415231221516"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-12-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10748685/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139032646","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}