Comparing in-Person and Telepractice Service Delivery for Spoken Language Production and Comprehension Using the National Outcomes Measurement System.

The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) developed the National Outcomes Measurement System for aggregating standardized patient outcomes. Outcomes are standardized using Functional Communication Measures (FCM), scales designed to describe communicative function across specific areas of clinical need. This investigation compared in-person and telepractice service delivery for children in elementary school settings who received treatment targeting the FCM categories of either "spoken language production" or "spoken language comprehension." De-identified cases were secured from ASHA's NOMS database and the database of a private e-learning provider that implemented the NOMS format. There were minimal significant differences in the median change scores between the traditional and telepractice interventions. These results support comparable treatment outcomes between in-person service delivery and telepractice for treatment of children exhibiting impaired spoken language production or spoken language comprehension in an elementary school setting.

Assessing Personal Constructs of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Person-Centered Measure of Social Cognition.

Many protocols assessing social communication skills of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are based on behavioral observations. It has been suggested, however, that social cognition encompasses processes underlying observable behaviors. Such processes include personal constructs, which can be assessed using repertory grids. Personal constructs of five adolescents with ASD with average or above average intelligence and receptive and expressive language skills were explored using repertory grids in this study. With visual structure and verbal scaffolding, all participants successfully engaged in the repertory grid process. Data suggest participants had well organized, complex construct systems, a significant understanding of social roles, and were interested in social interactions. Repertory grids may provide additional person-centered information for assessing social communication skills in ASD.

Interprofessional Collaboration of Dental Hygiene and Communication Sciences & Disorders Students to Meet Oral Health Needs of Children with Autism.

PURPOSE: This pilot project was intended to introduce an authentic interprofessional education experience with students from Communication Sciences & Disorders (CSD) and Dental Hygiene (DH) to develop and apply strategies to assist children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to decrease their anxiety and improve their ability to participate in an oral screening and prophylaxis appointment. The second purpose was for students to learn each other's scope of practice. METHODS: Four children diagnosed with ASD were identified as having dental anxiety and unmet dental needs. The students collaborated to develop visual support strategies to support the implementation of an oral screening and prophylaxis. RESULTS: Three participants were able to participate in the oral screening, instruction for brushing teeth, and prophylaxis. The students reported having a better understanding of each other's roles and responsibilities and feeling more confident working with a child with ASD. CONCLUSION: The DH students were better able to identify the characteristics associated with ASD and to develop and use visual supports to assist children with ASD control anxiety during dental prophylaxis procedures. The CSD students learned techniques that hygienists use and how to help parents prepare their children for dental hygiene treatments.

Students' self-perceptions of interprofessional education following participation on a diagnostic team for autism spectrum disorder.

Interprofessional education is essential for producing future allied-health and education professionals. Unfortunately, opportunities for students to get authentic interprofessional field-based experiences are lacking. This pilot study explored students' self-perceptions towards interprofessional education (IPE) following participation on an interprofessional diagnostic team designed to rule in or out the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty-nine students from seven professions responded to a survey before and after completing this interprofessional education experience. The results indicated that the students' self-perceptions remained consistent during the experience. They reflected positive self-perceptions in the areas of collaboration, professional identity, and the desire to work with others, all in the context of an ASD-focused team. The findings suggest that students entering the IPE experience with positive expectations remained positive during the experience. This pilot study provides support for the benefits of providing students with the opportunity to engage in authentic collaborative practice when working with children with ASD.

Initial mental graphemic representation acquisition and later literacy achievement in children with language impairment: a longitudinal study.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between the ability to quickly acquire initial mental graphemic representations (MGRs) in kindergarten and fourth grade literacy skills in children with typical language (TL) and children with language impairment (LI). The study is a longitudinal extension of a study conducted by Wolter and Apel in which kindergarten children with LI and TL were administered early literacy measures as well as a novel written pseudoword task of MGR learning (spelling and identification of target pseudowords). In the current study (4 years later), the authors administered reading and spelling measures to 37 of the original 45 children (18 children with LI, 19 children with TL). The children with LI performed significantly lower than their peers with TL on all fourth grade literacy measures. For both groups, kindergarten initial MGR acquisition ability significantly related to fourth grade real-word reading and spelling. For the children with LI, kindergarten initial MGR acquisition ability also related to fourth grade pseudoword decoding and reading comprehension. Collectively, the findings suggest that initial MGR learning in kindergarten is an essential skill that may uniquely relate to later literacy abilities.

Allied healthcare providers' role in screening for autism spectrum disorders.

There is evidence documenting that children are not being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) early enough. This study surveyed allied healthcare providers to determine whether these professionals had received training on the characteristics of ASD and ASD-specific screening strategies through their pre-professional education or continuing education (CE). Additionally, participants were asked about their responsibility for screening children for ASD in their workplace and what would help them be better prepared to perform this type of screening. As a group, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and occupational therapists (OTs) reported receiving more training on the characteristics of ASD and screening for ASD in both their pre-professional education and CE workshops than reported by the physical therapists (PTs) and physicians assistants (PAs). Overall, the SLPS, OTs, and PTs had attended more CE trainings to gain information on ASD than had PAs. All groups expressed an interest in receiving more information on ASD via on- or off-site trainings. These results provide initial support for allied healthcare providers to become more active in screening and referring children who present with symptoms of ASD. The study also highlights the need for educational institutions to provide future healthcare professionals with the skills to provide appropriate early identification services for children and families.

Pharmacotherapy and children with autism spectrum disorder: a tutorial for speech-language pathologists.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this tutorial is to provide speech-language pathologists (SLPs) with general information regarding the most commonly prescribed medications for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; e.g., central nervous system stimulants, noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors, alpha-2 adrenergic agonists, antipsychotics, anticonvulsants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, benzodiazepines) in regard to their mechanism of action, behaviors treated, and potential side effects. METHOD: This clinical resource was compiled to support SLPs who need to understand the functions and effects of medications that have been prescribed to a child with ASD to whom they have or will be providing assessment and intervention services. CONCLUSIONS: SLPs play an important role in the education, assessment, and treatment of children with ASD. Although there is no definitive cure for ASD, up to 70% of children with ASD are prescribed psychoactive medications to ameliorate disruptive behaviors associated with ASD such as hyperactivity, inattention, impulsivity, aggression, irritability, self-injury, obsessive compulsiveness, anxiety, and mood disorders. The entire health care team, including SLPs, should be involved in monitoring children with ASD for efficacy, tolerability, and potential side effects when medications are prescribed.