Read my lips The importance of the face in a computer-animated tutor for vocabulary learning by children with autism

• Published in: Autism : the international journal of research and practice Vol. 10; no. 5; pp. 495 - 510
• Main Authors: Massaro, Dominic W., Bosseler, Alexis
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Thousand Oaks, CA Sage Publications 01.09.2006; SAGE Publications; Sage; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Adolescent; Animation; Autism; Autistic children; Autistic Disorder; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Children; Computer Assisted Instruction; Computer Assisted Language Learning; Computers; Face; Faces; Facial Expression; Female; Grammar; Hearing; Hearing disorders; Humans; Language; Learning; Learning Processes; Lipreading; Male; Medical sciences; Multimedia; Multisensory Learning; Nonverbal Communication; Programmed Tutoring; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Retention (Psychology); Special education. Orthophony; Speech production; Spoken language; Teaching; Teaching - methods; Treatments; User-Computer Interface; Verbal Learning; Visual Stimuli; Vocabulary; Vocabulary Development; Vocabulary Instruction; computer animation; language learning; vocabulary tutor; autism; Human; Vocabulary; Verbal learning; Face presentation; Treatment efficiency; Developmental disorder; Experimental study; Learning; Autism; Acquisition process; Treatment; School age; Language; Child; Special education; Computer aid; Lip reading
• ISSN: 1362-3613; 1461-7005
• DOI: 10.1177/1362361306066599

A computer-animated tutor, Baldi, has been successful in teaching vocabulary and grammar to children with autism and those with hearing problems. The present study assessed to what extent the face facilitated this learning process relative to the voice alone. Baldi was implemented in a Language Wizard/Tutor, which allows easy creation and presentation of a vocabulary lesson involving the association of pictures and spoken words. The lesson plan included both the receptive identification of pictures and the production of spoken words. A within-subject design with five children with autism followed an alternating treatment in which each child continuously learned to criterion sets of words with and without the face. The rate of learning was significantly faster and the retention was better with the face. The research indicates that at least some children with autism benefit from the face in learning new language within an automated program.