Abstract
Four children with autism were taught to use gestures in combination with oral communication. Using a multiple-baseline across-responses design, intervention was introduced successively across three response categories containing gestures representative of attention-directing/getting, affective, and descriptive behavior. Although none of the participants displayed appropriate gestural and verbal responses during baseline, all participants acquired this skill with the systematic implementation of modeling, prompting, and reinforcement. Generalization measures indicated that the children learned to respond in the presence of novel stimuli and a novel setting. Social validity measures revealed that the participants' behavior appeared more socially appropriate at the completion of the study than at the start of the study, and that the participants' behavior was indistinguishable from that of their typically developing peers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
REFERENCES
American Psychiatric Association. (1987). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
Attwood, A., Frith, U., & Hermelin, B. (1988). The understanding and use of interpersonal gestures by autistic and down's syndrome children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 18, 241–257.
Barten, S. S. (1979). Development of gesture. In N. R. Smith & M. B. Franklin (Eds.), Symbolic functioning in childhood (pp. 139–151). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
Bates, E., Camaioni, L., & Volterra, V. (1975). The acquisition of performatives prior to speech. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 21, 205–226.
Bijou, S. W. & Baer, D. M. (1961). Child development I: A systematic and empirical theory. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Bijou, S. W., & Baer, D. M. (1965). Child development II: Universal stage of infancy. New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
Buitelaar, J. K., van Engeland, H., de Kogel, K. H., de Vries, H., & van Hooff, J. A. (1991). Differences in the structure of social behavior of autistic children and non-autistic retarded controls. Journal of Child Psychology and Child Psychiatry, 32, 995–1015.
Carr, E. G., & Kemp, D. C. (1989). Functional equivalence of autistic leading and communicative pointing: Analysis and treatment. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19, 561–578.
Catania, H. C. (1992) Learning (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall.
Garfin, D. G., & Lord, C. (1986). Communication as a social problem in autism. In E. Schopler & G. B. Mesibov (Eds.), Social behavior in autism (pp. 133–149). New York: Plenum Press.
Kasari, C., Sigman, M., Mundy, P., & Yirmiya, N. (1990). Affective sharing in the context of joint attention interactions of normal, autistic, and mentally retarded children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 20, 87–100.
Koegel, R. L., & Frea, W.D. (1993). Treatment of social behavior in autism through the modification of pivotal social skills. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 26, 369–377.
Landry, S. H., & Loveland, K. A. (1988). Communication behaviors in autism and developmental language delay. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 29, 621–634.
Landry, S. H., & Loveland, K. A. (1989). The effect of social context on the functional communication skills of autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19, 283–299.
Loveland, K. A., & Landry S. H. (1986). Joint attention and language in autism and developmental language delay. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 16, 335–349.
Loveland, K. A., Landry, S. H., Hughes, S. O., Hall, S. K., & McEvoy, R. E. (1988). Speech acts and the pragmatic deficits of autism. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 31, 593–604.
McHale, S. M., Simeonsson, R. J., Marcus, L. M., & Olley, J. G. (1980). The social and symbolic quality of autistic children's communication. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 10, 299–310.
Morford, M., & Goldin-Meadow (1992). Comprehension and production of gesture in combination with speech in one-word speakers. Journal of Child Language, 19, 559–580.
Mundy, P., Sigman, M., & Kasari, C. (1990). A longitudinal study of joint attention and language development in autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 20, 115–128.
Mundy, P., Sigman, M., Ungerer, J., & Sherman, T. (1986). Defining the social deficits of autism: The contribution of non-verbal communication measures. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 27, 657–669.
Mundy, P., Sigman, M., Ungerer, J., & Sherman, T. (1987). Nonverbal communication and play correlates of language development in autistic children. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 17, 349–364.
Partington, J. W., Sundberg, M. L., Newhouse, L., & Spengler, S. M. (1994). Overcoming an autistic child's failure to acquire a tact repertoire. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 733–734.
Pierce, K., & Schreibman, L. (1995). Increasing complex social behaviors in children with autism: Effects of peer-implemented pivotal response training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 28, 285–295.
Prizant, B. M., & Wetherby, A. M. (1987). Communicative intent: A framework for understanding social-communicative behavior in autism. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 26, 472–479.
Ricks, D. M., & Wing, L. (1975). Language, communication, and the use of symbols in normal and autistic children. Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 5, 191–221.
Ricks, D. M., & Wing, L. (1976). Language, communication and the use of symbols. In L. Wing (Ed.), Early childhood autism (pp. 93–134). New York: Pergamon.
Shah, A., & Wing, L. (1986). Cognitive impairments affecting social behavior in autism. In E. Schopler & G. B. Mesibov (Eds.), Social behavior in autism (pp. 153–167). New York: Plenum Press.
Sigman, M., Mundy, P., Sherman, T., & Ungerer, J. (1986). Social interactions of autistic, mentally retarded and normal children and their caregivers. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines, 27, 647–656.
Sigman, M., & Ungerer, J. A. (1984). Cognitive and language skills in autistic, mentally retarded, and normal children. Developmental Psychology, 20, 293–302.
Smith, I. M., & Bryson, S. E. (1994). Imitation and action in autism: A critical review. Psychological Bulletin, 116, 259–273.
Wetherby, A. M. (1986). Ontogeny of communicative functions in autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 16, 295–315.
Wetherby, A. M., & Prutting, C. A. (1984). Profiles of communicative and cognitive-social abilities in autistic children. Journal of Speech and Hearing Research, 27, 364–377.
Zimmerman, I. L., Steiner, V.G., & Pond, R. E., (1979). Preschool Language Scale. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corp.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Buffington, D.M., Krantz, P.J., McClannahan, L.E. et al. Procedures for Teaching Appropriate Gestural Communication Skills to Children with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 28, 535–545 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026056229214
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1026056229214