Search

Purpose: This study reviewed the literature examining type and frequency of gesture use in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in comparison to other populations. The findings can inform future studies and programs targeting the use of gestures as an early indicator of ASD.Methods: A six step search procedure was utilized to identify all articles exploring gesture use in children with ASD in comparison to other populations. Articles meeting inclusion criteria were double coded by the investigators with 97% agreement. Results examining type and frequency of gesture were synthesized and three common themes were identified: comparison group(s), age of participants with ASD, and gesture terminology.Results: A total of 32 studies met inclusion criteria for this study. Of these studies, nine exclusively measured type of gesture, 17 exclusively measured frequency, and 6 measured both type and frequency. Results indicate that children with ASD used different types and frequency of gesture in comparison to other populations. The most studied age range was 4-5 years and most studies used typically developing children as the comparison group. Gesture terminology and definition were extremely variable.Conclusions: Children with ASD are using different types and frequencies of gesture when compared to other populations. More research including younger and more diverse populations is needed to translate these findings into clinical practice. Additionally, there is a need for more consistent use of gesture terminology and definition.

Purpose Little is known about the professional knowledge, training, and attitudes of current and future speech-language pathologists (SLPs) toward serving people who are transgender. The purpose of this study was to understand the current climate of students and professionals in delivering voice and communications services to people who are transgender. An understanding of these areas is necessary to help practicing and aspiring SLPs work toward cultural competence in serving this population. Method A survey was completed by 386 speech-language pathology students and SLPs at three professional conferences. The survey assessed the professional and ethical knowledge, training experiences, and attitudes of the participants in relation to communication services for people who are transgender. Results In terms of professional knowledge, the majority of students and experienced SLP respondents agreed or strongly agreed (77.8%) that treating clients who are transgender was within the SLP scope of practice and was their ethical responsibility (82.2%). Regarding training, approximately 20% of survey respondents received training for working with people who are transgender, whereas approximately 8% of survey respondents reported having experience working with clients who are transgender. With respect to attitude, approximately 54% of survey respondents reported being comfortable treating clients who are transgender, and 37% of survey respondents reported they were likely to pursue training for treating clients who are transgender. Additional analyses were completed comparing students and experienced SLPs as well as the influence of geographic region. Discussion Students and SLPs were generally knowledgeable of professional guidelines and standards regarding serving people who are transgender. However, in this survey, very few clinicians indicated they had received training to serve this population. Recommendations to address this gap are discussed.

This meta-analysis synthesizes results from expository text structure interventions designed to increase comprehension for students in kindergarten to grade 12 published between 1970 and 2013. Twenty-one studies were identified, 19 of which met criteria for a meta-analysis, including 48 studywise effect sizes that were meta-analyzed to determine (a) how effective expository text structure interventions are in improving comprehension and (b) what features of expository text structure interventions (e.g., number of text structures taught, type of implementer) are associated with improved comprehension outcomes. A random-effects analysis yielded a significant mean effect of .95 overall and a significant mean effect of 1 for researcher-developed comprehension measures. Moderator analyses indicated significant differences in student comprehension outcomes, favoring researchers as implementers, 11–20 hours of interventions, one or two text structures taught, and students in the elementary grades. Instructional features of expository text structure interventions and implications for research and practice are discussed.

Adolescents’ verbal and nonverbal communication skills were compared before and after training in a workforce readiness training program, Language for Scholars (LFS), and a study skills program, Ideal Student Workshop (ISW). A cross-over design was used, ensuring that 44 adolescents received both programs and acted as their own control. The LFS program incorporated aspects of modeling, operationalized behaviors, performance, feedback, and self-regulatory goal setting. The active comparison ISW program taught study skill strategies. Adolescents participated in three interviews before (Pretest) and after both programs (Posttest 1, Posttest 2). Findings revealed that both adolescents’ verbal and nonverbal communication skills improved significantly immediately after completion of the LFS program only at Posttest 1 and Posttest 2. However, only nonverbal communication skills improved at Posttest 1 when comparing results between LFS and ISW. Findings suggest that both programs yielded some positive outcomes for adolescents.

The purpose of this study was to assess the basic psychometric properties of a progress-monitoring tool designed to measure narrative discourse skills in school-age children with language impairmen...

Purpose The purpose of the project was to design a nonverbal dynamic assessment of phoneme deletion that may prove useful with individuals who demonstrate complex communication needs (CCN) and are unable to communicate using natural speech or who present with moderate–severe speech impairments. Method A nonverbal dynamic assessment of phoneme deletion with a systematic prompting and scoring system was developed and compared to the same measure administered using a traditional “static” format. Both versions were administered to 64 typically developing children ranging in age from 6 to 8;5. The dynamic phoneme deletion task was designed so that no verbal response was required. Children were asked to point to pictures representing each stimulus item. The same stimulus items were administered to children in a traditional static format, without the use of pictures. For example, in the dynamic assessment task, children were asked to point to 1 of 4 pictures (e.g., ice) to indicate their response when asked to delete “m” from “mice.” In the static format, children were asked to “say” the real word left over after deleting “m” from “mice.” Correlations between phoneme deletion tasks and word-level reading tasks were calculated. Results Internal reliability for the nonverbal dynamic phoneme deletion task was α = .88 for the total sample. Correlations between the dynamic and static formats were high (r = .84) as were correlations between the deletion tasks and the measure of word-level reading (dynamic; r = .54, static; r = .53). Conclusions These preliminary findings suggest that the nonverbal dynamic phoneme deletion task holds promise for use with children for whom speech output is compromised. Implications for use with children who use AAC or who have significant speech impairments and recommendations for future research are discussed. Learning outcomes: Readers will learn about a nonverbal dynamic assessment of phoneme deletion that may prove useful for measuring phoneme awareness for children who are unable to communicate using natural speech or who present with moderate–severe speech impairments. Readers will learn about the importance of accurate measurement of phoneme awareness for children with complex communication needs. Readers will also learn about how to develop and utilize reliable and valid measures of phoneme awareness for this population of children with communication impairments.

In this article we discuss a communication skills building program Leap Learning Systems calls Language for Scholars (LFS), a program developed at the request of a not-for-profit agency in 1994 to help 8th grade urban students who had received scholarships to private high schools. The LFS program focuses on building classroom communication skills called Academic English.

Purpose This nonrandomized feasibility study was designed to provide a preliminary assessment of the impact of a narrative and vocabulary instruction program provided by a speech-language pathologist (SLP) in a regular classroom setting. Method Forty-three children attending 2 first-grade classrooms participated in the study. Children in each classroom were divided into high- and low-risk subgroups on the basis of their performance on a narrative test. Narrative and vocabulary instruction was provided by an SLP in 1 classroom for three 30-min periods per week for 6 weeks. Results The children in the experimental classroom made clinically significant improvements on narrative and vocabulary measures; children in the comparison classroom did not. Within the experimental classroom, children in the high-risk subgroup demonstrated greater gains in narration and fewer gains in vocabulary than children in the low-risk subgroup. There were no subgroup differences in the comparison classroom. Conclusion These preliminary results provide early evidence of the feasibility of implementing a narrative instruction program in a classroom setting. Children at a high risk for language difficulties appeared to profit more from the narrative instruction than from the embedded vocabulary instruction. More extensive research on this instructional program is warranted. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.6170276