Abstract
A study was conducted in order to simultaneously compare the relative effectiveness of three different language training models (total communication sign training, nonverbal “sign-alone” training, and oral [vocal] training) for teaching expressive language skills to a 4 1/2-year-old mute autistic child. A single-subject, alternating-treatment (multielement) design with replication within subject was used to compare the rate of expressive word acquisition across training models. Results show the total communication model to be substantially superior to both oral and sign-alone training models, and place in question the theory of an intersensory integration disability to explain the success of sign language. Alternatively, the data suggest that the use of physical prompts combined with multisensory inputs provide a basis for the demonstrated success.
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This article was based on a thesis submitted by the first author to the Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts-Amherst, in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the master's degree. This research was supported, in part, by a grant from the Bureau of Education for the Handicapped, NO 451AH60923. The authors wish to acknowledge the Hampshire Educational Collaborative, Community Homes, Inc., and the University of Massachusetts Communication Disorders Clinic for their assistance and support in this research.
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Barrera, R.D., Lobato-Barrera, D. & Sulzer-Azaroff, B. A simultaneous treatment comparison of three expressive language training programs with a mute autistic child. J Autism Dev Disord 10, 21–37 (1980). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02408430
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02408430