Parent-implemented AAC verb symbol intervention with children with ASD.

Area of Science:

• Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)
• Developmental Psychology
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Research

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often face communication challenges.
• Verb symbol use via AAC applications can support action requests.
• Parent-mediated interventions are crucial for skill acquisition in ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if young children with ASD can learn to use verb symbols on an AAC app to request actions.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of parent coaching in facilitating AAC use for requesting actions.
• To examine individual differences in learning rates and skill generalization.

Main Methods:

• A multiple-probe across participants design was employed.
• Researcher coaching trained parents in specific AAC implementation strategies.
• Intervention involved embedding opportunities, modeling, prompting, and reinforcement within home routines.

Main Results:

• All three participants increased their use of verb symbols to request actions.
• Parents demonstrated high fidelity in implementing the intervention procedures.
• Individualized differences were noted in acquisition speed, response variability, and skill advancement.

Conclusions:

• Parent-implemented AAC interventions can effectively increase action requests in young children with ASD.
• Tailored support is necessary due to variability in learning trajectories.
• Generalization from requesting to labeling actions requires further investigation.