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Updated: Jul 20, 2026
09:03
Eye Tracking Young Children with Autism
Published on: March 27, 2012
Teaching young children with autism to talk
1Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee 37203, USA. paul.yoder@vanderbilt.edu
Seminars in Speech and Language
|August 31, 2006
Summary
This study suggests measuring word diversity in young children with autism to track language progress. Improving object play and nonverbal skills may enhance direct language therapy outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Speech-Language Pathology
Background:
- Functional spoken communication is a key goal for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Assessing progress in language development for children with ASD requires reliable and valid measures.
- Early intervention is crucial for improving communication skills in young children with ASD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To propose and justify the use of word diversity in language samples as a measure for tracking functional communication gains in young children with autism.
- To review existing research on early intervention targets for children with autism, specifically focusing on object play and nonverbal communication.
- To establish the rationale for incorporating object play and nonverbal communication skills into early intervention strategies for autism.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing studies on early intervention for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), focusing on children aged 2-3 years.
- Analysis of language samples to assess the number of different nonimitative, referential, conventional, and communicative words.
- Examination of the relationship between object play, nonverbal communication, and spoken language development in young children with autism.
Main Results:
- The number of different words used in a language sample can serve as a valid measure of functional communication in young children with autism.
- Object play and nonverbal communication skills are potentially important targets for early intervention in autism.
- Improvements in object play and nonverbal communication may facilitate the effectiveness of direct language therapy.
Conclusions:
- Word diversity in language samples is a practical metric for evaluating progress in functional communication for young children with autism.
- Integrating object play and nonverbal communication goals into early intervention can support the development of spoken language.
- Interventions targeting object play, nonverbal communication, and speech are beneficial for young children with autism.
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