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Sampling communicative behaviours in children with intellectual disability in structured and unstructured situations
T A Iacono1, R E Waring, J B Chan
1Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
Summary
Structured clinician-led interactions effectively sampled communicative acts in children with intellectual disability, showing increased use of speech and signs over time. Combining methods provides a comprehensive view of communication skills.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Linguistics
- Special Education
Background:
- Children with intellectual disability often exhibit communication challenges.
- Assessing intentional communicative acts is crucial for intervention.
- Existing methods may not fully capture the range of communication strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of structured 'communicative temptation' procedures versus unstructured parent-child interactions.
- To analyze the types and frequency of intentional communicative acts.
- To evaluate changes in communication strategies over time.
Main Methods:
- 11 subjects with intellectual disability participated.
- Two assessment periods over 5-7 months.
- Comparison of structured clinician-led and unstructured parent-child interactions.
Main Results:
- Structured conditions yielded more Requests and Comments.
- Unstructured conditions were more effective for sampling responses in the second assessment.
- Increased use of speech and signs, with decreased gestures and vocalizations, was observed over time.
Conclusions:
- Structured 'communicative temptation' procedures are effective for eliciting specific communicative acts.
- A combination of structured and unstructured methods offers a comprehensive assessment of communication.
- Interventions should consider the progression of linguistic forms in children with intellectual disability.