Effects of Peer-Mediated Instruction to Teach Use of Speech-Generating Devices to Students with Autism in Social Game Routines

Abstract

Supporting social interactions between students with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and their typically developing peers presents many challenges. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a peer-mediated intervention designed to teach two students with ASD to use speech-generating devices (SGDs) to engage in interactions with peers in a social context at school. Six peer confederates (three from each student with ASD's general education classroom) were taught to support SGD use during game activities. A multiple baseline design was used to examine the relationship between peer-mediated instruction and an increase in total communicative acts (CAs) by the two students with ASD. Results provide evidence that the confederates acquired the skills needed to support SGD use by students with ASD. The results also suggest that the intervention was effective at increasing total appropriate CAs by students with ASD. In addition, social validity ratings by all of the confederates were positive. Results are discussed regarding educational implications, limitations, and future research.

Training Peer Partners to Use a Speech-Generating Device With Classmates With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Exploring Communication Outcomes Across Preschool Contexts

“…Of the few studies available to date examining approaches to include peers as communication partners in SGD interventions, specific procedures for how peers were trained and fidelity measures are absent or vague (Schwartz, Garfinkle, & Bauer, 1998;Trembath et al, 2009;Trottier et al, 2011). The outcomes of the current study add to current AAC interventions literature for young children in two important ways.…”

“…First, peers taught to use the same AAC system can provide models or augmented input, which may then lead to greater AAC use by the child with ASD (Trottier, Kamp, & Mirenda, 2011). Second, when peers are taught the same vocabulary and symbols, they can respond more consistently to child communication attempts, especially for children with ASD who are nonverbal or have limited or unintelligible speech.…”

“…For two 11-year-old students with ASD, Trottier et al (2011) successfully taught six typically developing peers to prompt SGD use during Bingo and Concentration card games. Both students with ASD increased spontaneous communicative acts to their peers.…”

Effects of Communication Partner Instruction on the Communication of Individuals using AAC: A Meta-Analysis

“…all studies reported at least one dependent variable for participant communication that could be classified in the domain of pragmatics. examples of these dependent variables included number of intervals being coded as including social interaction (Carter & maxwell, 1998), proportion of communicative turns and initiations (Dattilo & light, 1993), and frequency of communication acts (trottier, Kamp, & mirenda, 2011). two studies reported dependent variables that fell within the morpho-syntactic domain through the tracking of multisymbol messages (binger et al, 2008, 2010).…”

Designing AAC Research and Intervention to Improve Outcomes for Individuals with Complex Communication Needs

“…AAC interventions must be well rounded, with a focus on the full breadth of communication purposes (e.g., expression of needs and wants, social closeness, information exchange, social etiquette), and future research must investigate the effects of such well-rounded interventions on the communication outcomes of individuals with complex communication needs across their natural environments. For example, Trottier, Kamp, and Mirenda (2011) reported the positive impact of a peer-mediated intervention to teach two students with autism to use their AAC systems to support social interactions with peers in their general education classroom. The results provided evidence that the peers were able to support AAC system use by the students with autism, and there was an increase in the participation of these students during the social activities.…”