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Value-Added Predictors of Expressive and Receptive Language Growth in Initially Nonverbal Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

Eighty-seven preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders who were initially nonverbal (under 6 words in language sample and under 21 parent-reported words said) were assessed at five time points over 16 months. Statistical models that accounted for the intercorrelation among nine theoretically- and empirically-motivated predictors, as well as two background variables (i.e., cognitive impairment level, autism severity), were applied to identify value-added predictors of expressive and receptive spoken language growth and outcome. The results indicate that responding to joint attention, intentional communication, and parent linguistic responses were value-added predictors of both expressive and receptive spoken language growth. In addition, consonant inventory was a value-added predictor of expressive growth; early receptive vocabulary and autism severity were value-added predictors of receptive growth.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by National Institute for Deafness and other Communication Disorders (NIDCD R01 DC006893) and supported by the National Institute for Child Health and Disorders (NICHD) through the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center (P30HD15052) and the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities (P30HD03110). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. We are very grateful to our wonderful staff (Elizabeth Gardner, Nicole Thompson, Paula McIntyre, Ariel Schwartz, Tricia Paulley, Kristen Fite, Maura Tourian, Ann Firestine, Lucy Stefani, Olivia Fairchild, Amanda Haskins, Danielle Kopkin, and Kathleen Berry), the families who trust us with their precious children, and Tiffany Woynaroski, who edited drafts of this manuscript.

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  1. Special Education, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Paul Yoder

  2. Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Linda R. Watson

  3. Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA

    Warren Lambert

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  1. Paul Yoder
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Correspondence to Paul Yoder.

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Yoder, P., Watson, L.R. & Lambert, W. Value-Added Predictors of Expressive and Receptive Language Growth in Initially Nonverbal Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 1254–1270 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2286-4

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