Language acquisition--Parent participation

Children with autism may present delays in the development of social,
communicative and cognitive skills. The behavioral features and patterns of development
exhibited across domains can be very distinctive (Volkmar, 1999). This diversity in the
expression of autism is what presents the greatest challenge for professionals and parents
looking for the most appropriate and effective intervention for this population.
Audio coaching intervention is one technology that has been used for over 50
years to train psychologists, medical interns, pre-service teachers, and parents of children
with behavioral challenges (Baum, 1976; Crimmins, Bradlyn, St. Lawrence, & Kelly,
1984; Giebelhaus, 1994; Goodman, Brady, Duffy, & Scott, in press; Hunt, 1980; Kahan,
2002; Korner & Brown, 1952; Lindell, 2001; Werba, Eyberg, Boggs, & Algina, 2006).
The intervention consists of a trainee receiving immediate feedback from a coach via a remote radio. However, the application of this technology has never been explored
specifically for training parents of children with autism.
The present study was designed to examine experimentally the effectiveness of
the audio coaching intervention on parents' interactions with their children with autism.
Three mothers and their children with autism participated in the study. The mothers
received immediate feedback from a coach on prompts designed specifically for their
children. Results showed that the audio coaching intervention was an effective medium to
teach the mothers how to deliver effective prompts and praise to their children. Results of
the intervention also generalized to tasks on which the mothers had never been trained,
and maintained well after the coaching was withdrawn. All three children showed an
increase in their engagement and completion of independent tasks and routines in their
homes after their mothers increased their use of more effective prompts and praise.

The development of child language within the framework of the family has received increased interest in the past decade. One recent premise is that the use of specific types of language by adults in parent-child dyads affects development. These types of adult language, labeled as directives , are verbal behaviors that communicate to the child that he or she should do, say, or attend to something, and are considered to be related to episodes of joint attention. Posited by this model is that episodes of joint attention lead to greater language development. One type of directive, follow-in, is hypothesized to lead to increased joint attention; while two others, redirectives and introductions , are seen to save either a negative or no role in joint attention, thus making them non-significant or negative in the development of language. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of these specifically defined directives by primary caregivers in adult-toddler dyads and to determine the role each played in episodes of joint attention. Additionally, child engagement outside joint attention episodes was examined with regard to adult directive use. Twenty primary caregiver-toddler dyads participated in the study, with two groups of ten dyads each (at-risk and no risk conditions). Dyads were videotaped at home for one 15-minute session, of which the last 10 minutes were coded for joint attention and child engagement using partial-interval recording. Additionally, each specific directive was tallied and the total number calculated. Results indicated one statistically significant result in the relationship between use of a specific directive (introduction) and number of intervals of child engagement. Multiple regression analysis demonstrated that the hypothesized model was significantly accurate with regard to the relationship between child engagement and follow-in and introductory directives; however, prediction of intervals of joint attention by type of directive was not significant (p = .487). Additionally, no significance was found in the correlation between directives and joint attention, contradicting the postulated relationship in the model studied. The results of this research suggest that, for use in measuring joint attention, the proposed narrow definitions of directives are not adequate.