Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: Music Therapists’ Work with Speech-Language Pathologists

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angela Guerriero ◽  
Mara E Culp ◽  
Lisa Pierce-Goldstein
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Music Therapists ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Collaborative Models ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Multiple Domains

Abstract Adolescents on the autism spectrum may experience challenges with multiple domains of communication that impact their quality of life. Both music therapists and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) implement activities to address these challenges. Empirical evidence suggests that incorporating music into treatment can be an effective way to improve communication. The purpose of this article is to provide suggestions for music therapists assisting adolescents on the autism spectrum to improve their communication skills and ways to collaborate with SLPs in doing so. In this paper, we discuss interprofessional collaborative models (e.g., interdisciplinary, transdisciplinary) and competencies (e.g., coordination, adaptability), as well as music-based clinical experiences that appeal to adolescents, and target improvement of communication skills for learners with complex communication needs.

The Need for Nurse Training to Promote Improved Patient-Provider Communication for Patients With Complex Communication Needs

2013 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 112-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Debora Downey ◽  
Mary Beth Happ
Keyword(s):  
Health Care Providers ◽  
Communication Disorders ◽  
Provider Communication ◽  
Nurse Training ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Patient Provider Communication ◽  
Communication Needs

Abstract Hospitalized patients across the age continuum often present with complex communication needs (CCN) due to motor, sensory, cognitive, and linguistic barriers they may experience during their admission. Although hospitals recognize the need to enhance communication to improve quality and safety for all patients, the emphasis has been primarily on improving ”care coordination” amongst the health care providers the patient encounters across all points of admission. Most hospitals have yet to focus on improving the patient-provider communication experience, especially for patients with CCN. However, this population no longer can be ignored, as new standards mandate efforts to improve communication for patients with CCN. Nurses, as the team members responsible for continuous care during hospital stays, and speech-language pathologists, as communication disorders specialists, are positioned distinctively to facilitate patient communication and prevent miscommunications between patients and care providers. This article highlights the need to enhance the patient-provider communication experience for patients with CCN. We review the state of nurse training for patients with CCN, discuss the role speech-language pathologists can play in developing and implementing nurse training protocols, and outline basic elements nurse training modules should include.

Academic and Clinical Preparation and Practices of School Speech-Language Pathologists With People Who Stutter

1997 ◽  
Vol 28 (3) ◽  
pp. 195-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen M. Kelly ◽  
Jane S. Martin ◽  
Kendra E. Baker ◽  
Norma I. Rivera ◽  
Jane E. Bishop ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Professional Practice ◽  
Clinical Competence ◽  
Clinical Training ◽  
Clinical Skills ◽  
Clinical Experiences ◽  
Clinical Practices ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Clinical Preparation ◽  
Clinical Procedures

One-hundred-fifty-seven Indiana school speech-language pathologists responded to a survey regarding their educational and clinical preparation and their current clinical practices with people who stutter. Respondents described and evaluated the quantity and quality of their academic coursework and clinical experiences, as well as their current clinical procedures for diagnosing and treating stuttering. Speech-language pathologists also estimated their clinical competence with their clients who stutter at two junctures in their careers: (a) following completion of academic/clinical training, and (b) currently. Respondents reported receiving insufficient academic and clinical preparation to work with people who stutter. In addition, nearly half of those surveyed reported that their current clinical skills are inadequate for managing stuttering. Findings are interpreted as confirming and extending the growing body of literature that documents the need for the improvement and expansion of educational and clinical opportunities in stuttering for speech-language pathologists in training and those in professional practice.

Videos With Integrated AAC Visual Scene Displays to Enhance Participation in Community and Vocational Activities: Pilot Case Study With an Adolescent With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2017 ◽  
Vol 2 (12) ◽  
pp. 55-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tara O'Neill ◽  
Janice Light ◽  
David McNaughton
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Real World ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Communication Needs

In order to maximize the positive outcomes of augmentative and alternative communication interventions, it is critical that interventions support the participation of individuals with complex communication needs within real-world interactions in their natural environments. A pilot case study was used to evaluate the effects of videos with integrated visual scene displays (VSDs), displayed on a tablet-based application (app), on the percent of task steps completed independently within three community and vocational activities by an adolescent with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The results indicated noticeable gains in independent task completion and communication across contexts while using the video VSD app after only a few intervention sessions. These results provide preliminary evidence that videos with integrated VSDs may serve as an effective means to maximize independent participation and communication for individuals with complex communication needs and ASD in real-world contexts. Ultimately, this assistive technology could reduce dependence on aides (e.g., job coaches, paraprofessionals) and create increased opportunities for employment and independent participation in meaningful community activities for individuals with complex communication needs.

Enhancing Peer Network Interventions for Students With Complex Communication Needs

2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 66-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth E. Biggs ◽  
Erik W. Carter ◽  
Jennifer L. Bumble ◽  
Kelli Barnes ◽  
Erica L. Mazur
Keyword(s):  
Communication Skills ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Peer Interaction ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Symbolic Communication ◽  
Peer Network ◽  
Network Intervention ◽  
Aided Aac ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Interactions With Peers

Educators need effective ways to build the communication skills of students learning to use aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and support their interactions with peers. This study used a multiple-probe-across-participants design to evaluate the effectiveness of a paraprofessional-facilitated peer network intervention to (a) increase peer interaction for students with complex communication needs and (b) investigate whether embedding peer-implemented aided AAC modeling within the intervention would increase students’ use of symbolic communication (i.e., aided AAC, signs, speech). Participants were four elementary-age students with intellectual disability or autism who used a speech-generating device or communication book. The peer network increased students’ overall interactions with peers but not their symbolic communication. Teaching peers to use aided AAC modeling through brief training and coaching resulted in increasing students’ use of symbolic communication within interactions with peers. Implications are offered related to supporting peer interaction, improving symbolic communication skills, and involving peers in social-communication interventions.

Implementing Aided Augmentative Communication Systems With Persons Having Complex Communicative Needs

2019 ◽  
Vol 43 (6) ◽  
pp. 841-878 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joe Reichle ◽  
Jessica Simacek ◽  
Sanikan Wattanawongwan ◽  
Jennifer Ganz
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Communication Skills ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Communication Systems ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Communication Mode ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
Selection Of

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems can support communication skills for people with significant developmental disabilities who experience complex communication needs (CCNs). There is a need to tailor best practices in AAC assessment and intervention to create individualized communication systems with this population. In this article, we outline the important components of AAC systems that can be implemented in authentic settings. However, given the limited evidence on AAC interventions specific to people with CCNs, we also identify some priority areas for future inquiry. Among these involve strategies to enhance decision making regarding (a) matching communication mode(s) to learner skills and contextual demands, (b) identifying communicative opportunities and obligations, (c) individualizing aided communication display features, (d) selection of vocabulary specificity, and (e) considering dosage parameters needed to acquire and maintain a communicative repertoire. In addition, we briefly discuss the use of telehealth to enhance intervention capability.

An Empirical Review of Peer-Mediated Interventions: Implications for Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (3) ◽  
pp. 131-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alison L. Zagona ◽  
Ann M. Mastergeorge
Keyword(s):  
Social Communication ◽  
Rating Scale ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Preschool Age ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Social Communication Skills ◽  
Communication Needs

Peer-mediated instruction and intervention (PMII) is a systematic, evidence-based method for addressing the social-communication needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Despite existing research on this practice, gaps remain in the implementation of PMII. The purpose of this empirical review was to examine recent applications of this evidence-based practice and systematically assess the quality of the analytic approaches implemented. Recent studies selected for this review included participants with ASD and targeted social-communication skills. The Scientific Merit Rating Scale (SMRS) was used to review the quality of the research studies, and the results suggest that PMII continues to be an effective practice. These results indicate that future research should focus on larger study Ns, particularly for those who are preschool-age, and include measures of generalization and maintenance as well as treatment integrity measures of peers’ actions. The effectiveness of PMII relative to positive developmental outcomes is discussed.

Promoting Peer Interaction for Preschool Children With Complex Communication Needs and Autism Spectrum Disorder

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 207-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michelle C. S. Therrien ◽  
Janice C. Light
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Peer Interaction ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Joint Engagement ◽  
Turn Taking ◽  
Communication Needs ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of a multicomponent intervention on the social communication and engagement of preschool children with complex communication needs (CCN) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and peers without disabilities.MethodFive dyads of children participated in this research. A multiple probe design across dyads was used to evaluate the effects of intervention on the frequency of communicative turns expressed by children with CCN and ASD in interactions with peers. Frequency of peer turns, percentage of turns taken by peers, and joint engagement were investigated to assess the quality of the interaction. The intervention included (a) provision of a communication app on an Apple iPad Air 2 and (b) dyadic turn-taking training.ResultsFour of the 5 participants with CCN completed training and increased independent communicative turn-taking with peers. The 5th participant showed increased turn-taking during training but little change in independent turn-taking. All peers took more turns in intervention than in baseline, with no negative impact on the turn balance between participants. Average joint engagement increased for all dyads, although session-to-session variability was high.ConclusionThe results from this study provide support for the use of this intervention to promote peer interaction for children with CCN and ASD.Supplemental Materialhttps://doi.org/10.23641/asha.5829678

scholarly journals Selecting Communicative Interventions Targets for School-Aged participants with ASD and ID: A Single-Case Experimental Design Meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Ganz ◽  
James E Pustejovsky ◽  
Joe Reichle ◽  
Kimberly Vannest ◽  
Margaret Foster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Effect Size ◽  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Response Ratio ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Complex Communication Needs ◽  
Log Response Ratio ◽  
Communication Needs

Objective: This meta-analysis reviews the literature on communication modes, communicative functions, and types of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) interventions for school-age participants with autism spectrum disorders and/or intellectual disabilities who experience complex communication needs. Considering potential differences related to outcomes that were targeted for intervention could help identify the most effective means of individualizing AAC interventions. Methods: We performed a systematic literature search using Academic Search Ultimate, ERIC, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Proquest Dissertations & Theses Global to retrieve research conducted between 1978 and the beginning of 2020. Studies included in the synthesis are (a) in English; (b) has one or more participants with an intellectual delay, developmental disability(ies); (c) reported the results of an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention to supplement or replace conventional speech for people with complex communication needs; (d) was a SCED; (e) measured social-communicative outcomes. We synthesized results across studies using multi-level meta-analyses of two case-level effect size metrics, Tau and log response ratio. We conducted moderator analyses using meta-regression with robust variance estimation.Results: Across 114 included studies with 330 participants and 767 effect size, overall Tau effects were moderate, Tau = 0.72, 95% CI [0.67, 0.77], and heterogeneous. For the subset of data series where log response ratio could be estimated, the overall average effect was LRR = 1.86, 95% CI [1.58, 2.13], and effects were highly heterogeneous. There were few statistically significant differences found between moderator categories, which included communication mode, communicative function, and type of AAC implemented.Conclusions: This meta-analysis highlights the potential differences related to outcomes that were targeted for AAC interventions for individuals with ASD and IDD. AAC intervention has been shown to improve communication outcomes in this population. However, there was a lack of sufficient data to analyze for some potential moderators such as insufficient descriptive information on participant characteristics. This is likely due to the heterogeneity of the participants and implementation factors; however, these factors were frequently underreported by original study authors which disallowed systematic analysis. That said, there is a need for more detailed participant characteristic descriptions in original research reports to support future aggregation across the literature. Sponsorship: We received funding for the review from the Institute of Education Sciences.Protocol: The review protocol was registered in the PROSPERO system (CRD42018112428).

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