Promoting Expressive Language in Young Children with or At-Risk for Autism Spectrum Disorder in a Preschool Classroom

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience expressive communication delays, affecting their functional independence.
• Early development of expressive language in individuals with ASD is linked to better long-term outcomes.
• Naturalistic language interventions (NLIs) are a critical area for research to support early communication development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a classroom-based naturalistic language intervention (NLI).
• To assess the impact of the NLI on expressive language targets in preschool-aged children with ASD characteristics.
• To determine if the intervention leads to improvements in commenting, requesting, and phrase complexity.

Main Methods:

• A multiple probe design across participants was employed.
• The study involved three preschool-aged children with characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Intervention was delivered in a classroom setting, integrating language targets into typical play activities.

Main Results:

• The naturalistic language intervention (NLI) demonstrated positive effects on the trial-based use of targeted expressive language skills.
• The intervention yielded maintained improvements in language use over time.
• Concomitant improvements were observed in children's commenting, requesting, and phrase complexity.

Conclusions:

• Classroom-based naturalistic language interventions (NLIs) are effective in enhancing expressive communication for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• The findings support the integration of NLIs into typical classroom play-based activities for children with ASD.
• Early intervention using NLIs can positively impact functional communication and long-term outcomes for children with ASD.