Eliciting Language Samples for Analysis (ELSA): A New Protocol for Assessing Expressive Language and Communication in
Mihaela D Barokova1, Chelsea La Valle1, Sommer Hassan1,2
1Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Center for Autism Research Excellence, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Summary
A new protocol, Eliciting Language Samples for Analysis (ELSA), effectively assesses expressive language in autistic children and adolescents. This method provides reliable measures of verbal communication for intervention research.
Area of Science:
- Speech and Language Pathology
- Developmental Psychology
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Expressive language interventions are crucial for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Natural language samples are optimal for assessment but lack protocols for diverse ages and abilities, especially for minimally verbal individuals.
- Existing methods often require time-consuming transcription, limiting their use in clinical and research settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce a novel protocol, Eliciting Language Samples for Analysis (ELSA), for collecting expressive language samples from individuals with ASD.
- To develop and validate measures of verbal communicative competence that bypass transcription.
- To adapt and evaluate ELSA for different age groups, including toddlers and adolescents with limited spoken language.
Main Methods:
- Developed ELSA-adolescents (ELSA-A) for older, minimally verbal individuals with ASD.
- Collected language samples using real-time coding to derive measures of utterance frequency and conversational turns per minute.
- Adapted ELSA for toddlers (ELSA-T) and compared the efficacy of ELSA-A and ELSA-T in a mixed-age group.
Main Results:
- ELSA-A successfully engaged 46 participants (ages 6;6-19;7), yielding reliable and valid measures.
- ELSA-T demonstrated strong psychometric properties for 19 toddlers (ages 2;8-4;10).
- ELSA-A and ELSA-T showed equivalent efficacy in eliciting language from children (ages 4;0-6;8), confirming suitability for tracking changes over time.
Conclusions:
- ELSA provides a flexible and efficient protocol for assessing expressive language in individuals with ASD across a wide age range.
- The derived measures (utterance frequency, conversational turns) offer objective, reliable, and valid data for intervention research.
- ELSA addresses the need for accessible assessment tools for minimally and low-verbal populations with ASD.
