The effects of the DHACA method on expressive communication in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the contributions of the DHACA method to expressive communication development in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Methods: This longitudinal case series study had a sample of 12 children with ASD, nonverbal or minimally verbal communication, and support level one or two. Data were collected by applying the ACOTEA-R Protocol by analyzing videos recorded during intervention sessions before and after using the DHACA. Participants underwent 20 individual speech-language-hearing sessions with the DHACA.

Results: After the intervention with the ACOTEA-R, 10 of the 12 children improved their overall expressive communication skills. Concerning the communicative profile, initially, 10 children were nonverbal and 2 were minimally verbal. After the intervention, 7 evolved to a verbal pattern, whereas 5 remained nonverbal. The progress of the following communication skills stands out: use of sentences with four or more words, naming objects, social expressions, greeting people, and making comments. Moreover, 8 of the 12 participants advanced to the third skill in the DHACA, characterized by request with lexical and morphosyntactic expansion.

Conclusion: The children's speech and use of the communication book indicated progress in their expressive communication development after intervention with the DHACA.