The Effects of a Developmental, Social—Pragmatic Language Intervention on Rate of Expressive Language Production in Young Children With Autistic Spectrum Disorders

• Published in: Focus on autism and other developmental disabilities Vol. 20; no. 4; pp. 213 - 222
• Main Authors: Ingersoll, Brooke, Dvortcsak, Anna, Whalen, Christina, Sikora, Darryn
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA Sage Publications 2005; PRO-ED, Inc; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Autism; Child development; Children; Communication; Expressive Function of Language; Expressive Language; Intervention; Language Skills; Language Therapy; Parent Child Interaction; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Pragmatics; Social skills; Speech Communication; Spontaneous Speech; Teaching Methods; Therapy; Young Children
• ISSN: 1088-3576; 1538-4829
• DOI: 10.1177/10883576050200040301

Developmental, social—pragmatic (DSP) interventions are based on the study of interactions betWeen typically developing infants and their mothers. Despite the fact that DSP approaches are firmly grounded in developmental theory, there is limited research on the efficacy of these interventions for promoting social-communicative behavior in young children With autism. This study used a single-subject, multiple-baseline design to examine the effectiveness of a DSP language intervention on three children With autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). Results indicate the children exhibited increases in their use of spontaneous speech With the therapist as Well as With their parents, Who had not been trained in the intervention. These findings provide preliminary support for the effectiveness of language therapy using a developmental, social—pragmatic approach With young children With ASD.