Environmental Impacts on Language Development of Young Children with ASD

Background:

Vocal language development of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is an essential component of early intervention programs (Goldstein, 2002; Norrelgen et al., 2015), yet collecting representative language data can be difficult. Standardized direct assessments of children’s language may be impacted by fluctuations on a given day, particularly for children with more severe ASD symptoms. Language samples obtained across time in the participant’s natural environment provide a more complete account of language development and environmental effects on language (Kasari, Lord, & Tager-Flusberg, 2013; Tager-Flusberg et al., 2009). However, these samples require extensive time and money to collect.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to assess the language development and environmental impacts on language of young children with ASD enrolled in an early intensive behavioral intervention program. The Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system was used to collect and analyze weekly language samples of children with ASD. Gains in vocalizations and conversational turns will be assessed. In addition, correlations between environmental variables (e.g., instructional ratios, locations in center, activities) and vocalizations of children with ASD will be examined.

Methods:

Language samples of 16 children with ASD enrolled in an early intensive behavioral intervention program were collected twice a month over an eight-month period using the LENA Digital Language Processor and analyzed using the LENA software. Recording sessions lasted approximately 6.5 hr for each child at each time point. Child vocalizations, adult word count, and conversational turns between the child and adults were extracted for analysis. Paired samples t-tests were used to assess for differences in dependent measures at pre and post. Researchers also collected participants’ daily activity schedules to correlate environments and activities with frequencies of child vocalizations, adult words, and conversational turns between adults and children.

Results:

Preliminary results indicate high within participant variability in frequency of vocalization and conversational turns between adults and child participants. During a given day, children appear to demonstrate higher vocalizations during group activities, with fewer vocalizations during one-to-one instructional programming. A complete description of correlations between environment and dependent variables will be presented.

Conclusions:

The results suggest variations in activities and instructional programming can impact the language of children with ADS. The LENA processor and software allow for an economical collection of language samples, which can reveal patterns in behavior across environments. By identifying environmental variables associated with high and low language levels, it may be possible to construct educational and therapeutic environments that are more meaningful for children with ASD.