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Thursday, May 15, 2008
Champagne Terrace/Bordeaux (Novotel London West)
Background: Both Pivotal Response Training (PRT) and the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) are empirically-based approaches for teaching functional communication skills to young children with autism. No systematic data address the relative effectiveness of PRT and PECS for targeting spoken language. Also, little is known about variables that may influence whether verbal or pictorial training methods are more likely to benefit individual children.
Objectives: To examine the relative effects of PRT and PECS on spoken and augmentative communication skills in nonverbal and minimally verbal young children with autism, and to identify pre-treatment child characteristics that may guide treatment choices for individual children.
Methods: Thirty-nine children with autism (age 2-4), who had 10 or fewer functional words at intake, were randomly assigned to PRT or PECS. Children were matched on pre-treatment age, word use, and developmental level. Families received 258 hours of in-home intervention and parent training across 23 weeks. Spoken and augmentative communication skills were assessed at pre- and post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up.
Results: Both treatments resulted in substantial spoken language gains for approximately 50% of children. Children with some words at intake made substantial spoken language gains in both PRT and PECS, while children with no words at intake made minimal or no gains in spoken language. There were no significant differences in spoken language gains between treatment conditions. Over 80% of PECS participants acquired augmentative communication skills.
Conclusions: For young children entering treatment with some words, both PRT and PECS are likely to facilitate spoken language acquisition. Early word use appears to be a general predictor of more rapid acquisition of communication in young children with autism. For young children who enter treatment with no words, methods for deciding between verbal or pictorial training strategies for immediate functional communication skills will be discussed.
Objectives: To examine the relative effects of PRT and PECS on spoken and augmentative communication skills in nonverbal and minimally verbal young children with autism, and to identify pre-treatment child characteristics that may guide treatment choices for individual children.
Methods: Thirty-nine children with autism (age 2-4), who had 10 or fewer functional words at intake, were randomly assigned to PRT or PECS. Children were matched on pre-treatment age, word use, and developmental level. Families received 258 hours of in-home intervention and parent training across 23 weeks. Spoken and augmentative communication skills were assessed at pre- and post-treatment, and at 3-month follow-up.
Results: Both treatments resulted in substantial spoken language gains for approximately 50% of children. Children with some words at intake made substantial spoken language gains in both PRT and PECS, while children with no words at intake made minimal or no gains in spoken language. There were no significant differences in spoken language gains between treatment conditions. Over 80% of PECS participants acquired augmentative communication skills.
Conclusions: For young children entering treatment with some words, both PRT and PECS are likely to facilitate spoken language acquisition. Early word use appears to be a general predictor of more rapid acquisition of communication in young children with autism. For young children who enter treatment with no words, methods for deciding between verbal or pictorial training strategies for immediate functional communication skills will be discussed.