Exploring the Acquisition of Social Communication Skills in Children with Autism: Preliminary Findings from Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), Parent Training, and Video Modeling.

Social communication skills, especially eye contact and joint attention, are frequently impaired in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and predict functional outcomes. Applied behavior analysis is one of the most common evidence-based treatments for ASD, but it is not accessible to most families in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as it is an expensive and intensive treatment and needs to be delivered by highly specialized professionals. Parental training has emerged as an effective alternative. This is an exploratory study to assess a parental intervention group via video modeling to acquire eye contact and joint attention. Four graded measures of eye contact and joint attention (full physical prompt, partial physical prompt, gestural prompt, and independent) were assessed in 34 children with ASD and intellectual disability (ID). There was a progressive reduction in the level of prompting required over time to acquire eye contact and joint attention, as well as a positive correlation between the time of exposure to the intervention and the acquisition of abilities. This kind of parent training using video modeling to teach eye contact and joint attention skills to children with ASD and ID is a low-cost intervention that can be applied in low-resource settings.

The Impact of the Implementation of the Picture Exchange Communication System - PECS on Understanding Instructions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. / O impacto da implementação do Picture Exchange Communication System - PECS na compreensão de instruções em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of the implementation of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) on the comprehension of instructions by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). METHODS: This is a longitudinal study (N° 0809/2018). The sample consisted of 20 children with nonverbal ASDs, 15 boys and 5 girls, aged 6 to 12 years, evaluated and diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team according to the DSM-5. For assessment of the comprehension of instructions, we used eight visual instructions and eight oral instructions, which were applied at two points in the PECS Implementation Program: early phases II and IV. The program consisted of 24 individual speech therapy sessions with the presence of a family member and followed the six phases originally proposed by the PECS Training Manual. RESULTS: There was an expressive increase in the comprehension of all instructions, in the comparison between the two moments of the study; and this increase was statistically significant in six of the oral instructions (p=0.001) and five of the visual ones (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: It was possible to observe the positive impact of the use of PECS in the comprehension of both visual and oral instructions, showing that this system not only provides an augmentative or alternative communication tool for the children to express themselves but also promotes significant improvement in the understanding of contextual information.

OBJETIVO: O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o impacto da implementação do Picture Exchange Communication System ­ PECS na compreensão de instruções de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA). MÉTODO: Trata-se de estudo longitudinal. A amostra foi constituída por 20 crianças com TEA não verbais, sendo 15 meninos e 5 meninas, na faixa etária de 6 a 12 anos, avaliadas e diagnosticadas por equipe multidisciplinar, segundo os critérios do DSM-5. Para avaliação da compreensão de instruções foram aplicadas 8 instruções visuais e 8 instruções orais, em dois momentos do Programa de Implementação do PECS: no início das fases II e IV. O programa foi composto por 24 sessões de terapia fonoaudiológica individual com a presença do familiar e obedeceu às seis fases propostas originalmente pelo Manual de Treinamento do PECS. RESULTADOS: Houve aumento expressivo na compreensão de todas as instruções, na comparação entre os dois momentos do estudo; sendo que em seis das instruções orais (p=0,001) e cinco das instruções visuais (p=0,002), esse aumento foi estatisticamente significante. CONCLUSÃO: Foi possível observar o impacto positivo do uso do PECS na compreensão de instruções tanto visuais quanto orais, mostrando que esse sistema não apenas fornece uma ferramenta de comunicação aumentativa ou alternativa para a criança se expressar, mas também promove melhora significativa na compreensão das informações contextuais.

O impacto da implementação do Picture Exchange Communication System - PECS na compreensão de instruções em crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo / The Impact of the Implementation of the Picture Exchange Communication System - PECS on Understanding Instructions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

RESUMO Objetivo O objetivo deste estudo foi analisar o impacto da implementação do Picture Exchange Communication System - PECS na compreensão de instruções de crianças com Transtorno do Espectro do Autismo (TEA). Método Trata-se de estudo longitudinal. A amostra foi constituída por 20 crianças com TEA não verbais, sendo 15 meninos e 5 meninas, na faixa etária de 6 a 12 anos, avaliadas e diagnosticadas por equipe multidisciplinar, segundo os critérios do DSM-5. Para avaliação da compreensão de instruções foram aplicadas 8 instruções visuais e 8 instruções orais, em dois momentos do Programa de Implementação do PECS: no início das fases II e IV. O programa foi composto por 24 sessões de terapia fonoaudiológica individual com a presença do familiar e obedeceu às seis fases propostas originalmente pelo Manual de Treinamento do PECS. Resultados Houve aumento expressivo na compreensão de todas as instruções, na comparação entre os dois momentos do estudo; sendo que em seis das instruções orais (p=0,001) e cinco das instruções visuais (p=0,002), esse aumento foi estatisticamente significante. Conclusão Foi possível observar o impacto positivo do uso do PECS na compreensão de instruções tanto visuais quanto orais, mostrando que esse sistema não apenas fornece uma ferramenta de comunicação aumentativa ou alternativa para a criança se expressar, mas também promove melhora significativa na compreensão das informações contextuais.

ABSTRACT Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of the implementation of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) on the comprehension of instructions by children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Methods This is a longitudinal study (N° 0809/2018). The sample consisted of 20 children with nonverbal ASDs, 15 boys and 5 girls, aged 6 to 12 years, evaluated and diagnosed by a multidisciplinary team according to the DSM-5. For assessment of the comprehension of instructions, we used eight visual instructions and eight oral instructions, which were applied at two points in the PECS Implementation Program: early phases II and IV. The program consisted of 24 individual speech therapy sessions with the presence of a family member and followed the six phases originally proposed by the PECS Training Manual. Results There was an expressive increase in the comprehension of all instructions, in the comparison between the two moments of the study; and this increase was statistically significant in six of the oral instructions (p=0.001) and five of the visual ones (p=0.002). Conclusion It was possible to observe the positive impact of the use of PECS in the comprehension of both visual and oral instructions, showing that this system not only provides an augmentative or alternative communication tool for the children to express themselves but also promotes significant improvement in the understanding of contextual information.