An Analysis of Naturalistic Interventions for Increasing Spontaneous Expressive Language in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The purpose of this review was to identify naturalistic language interventions for increasing spontaneous expressive language (defined in this review as absence of verbal prompt or other verbalization from adults or peers) in young children with autism spectrum disorder. Also, the methodological rigor and effectiveness of each study were evaluated to determine which interventions confidently led to increases in the target behavior. A total of 24 studies that included 45 participants, 2 to 9 years of age, used a naturalistic language intervention. When using What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) guidelines to evaluate design standards, 50% of studies had adequate rigor and 33% of those studies demonstrated positive effects in the target behavior. In addition, the components of each intervention were coded and grouped by function. Implications for teachers, practitioners, and researchers are provided.