Abstract
Simultaneous sign and spoken language training was conducted with young, language-disordered children under standardized training and follow-up conditions with a stringent learning criterion to determine if language learned was stable over time. Twenty-one children between 36 and 86 months with no or nonfunctional language participated in the study. Diagnoses included autism, mental retardation, combined autism and mental retardation, and developmental aphasia. Children completed a mean of 74 signed speech training sessions. Sessions were twice daily, 5 days a week. Follow-up evaluations were made approximately 6 months after training. Of the 21 children, 17 learned at least one word and 7 children learned multiple-word phrases during the training. Most language learned in training was found to be retained at follow-up approximately 6 months later. Gestural imitation, play style, language age, developmental age, and fine motor skills had strong correlations with language learning and retention.
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This project was supported by research grant C 008 100457 to Rosslyn Gaines, from the U.S. Department of Education. The authors thank the Mental Retardation and Child Psychiatry unit at the Neuropsychiatric Institute (NPI), University of California, Los Angeles. D. Guthrie and P. Schroth, NPI, provided excellent statistical consultation and computer analyses to the project. Sue Knell and Mirla Geclewicz, NPI, were a great help in the pilot study. Manette McDermott, NPI, kindly supplied additional language age information on each child in the study. The project was graced by the help of a dedicated crew of student research assistants who carried out the communication training and data collection. Our appreciation goes to Gita Amona, Anne-Lauren Arenson, Cara Churchill, Joan Gilbert, Sandy Hansen, Michko Katamini, Scott Krishel, Pam Mabry, Diane Maler, Vicki McWain, Rosela Mendoza, Mona Mosk, Gina Raymond, Carrie Rogers, Mari Takahashi, Sharon Tsunishi, Linda Weinstein, Elaine Wienowksi, Elizabeth Wilhite, Karyn Wood, and Marisa Zarate. Portions of this paper were presented at the Society for Research in Child Development meeting, Detroit, April 1981.
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Gaines, R., Leaper, C., Monahan, C. et al. Language learning and retention in young language-disordered children. J Autism Dev Disord 18, 281–296 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02211953
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02211953