As a Special Education Director, staying informed about the latest research and interventions is crucial to providing the best possible support for our students. A recent study titled The Effect of Combined Intervention on Improvement of Early Lexical Development in Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder offers valuable insights into improving early lexical development in minimally verbal children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Understanding the Research
The study, conducted by Abdi et al. (2023), aimed to investigate the effects of a combined intervention approach derived from contemporary behaviorism, schemas, sociocultural, and event representation theories. This approach was tested on ten children with ASD over 16 sessions, resulting in significant improvements in both expressive and receptive vocabulary.
Key Findings
- Significant increases in expressive vocabulary (Cohen's d = 3.7) and receptive language (Cohen's d = 2.17).
- Improvement in actions and gestures with large effect sizes.
- Enhanced parent-child relationships and enriched language environments through natural living and environmental changes.
Implementing the Combined Intervention
To apply these findings in your practice, consider the following strategies:
- Environmental Changes: Create routines and fixed patterns for daily activities to help children understand and participate in their environment.
- Contextual Learning: Use context-dependent speech and comprehension strategies to build foundational language skills.
- Parent Involvement: Encourage parents to engage in consistent and structured interactions with their children, reinforcing the learned routines and vocabulary.
Encouraging Further Research
While the study shows promising results, it also highlights the need for further research with larger sample sizes and comparative studies with other treatment methods. Practitioners are encouraged to explore and contribute to this growing body of knowledge to enhance the effectiveness of interventions for minimally verbal children with ASD.
To read the original research paper, please follow this link: The Effect of Combined Intervention on Improvement of Early Lexical Development in Minimally Verbal Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
