Modifying the verbal expression of a child with autistic behaviors

The Bell and Howell Language Master was used in conjunction with the Monterey Language Program to modify the verbal expression of a nine-year-old boy with autistic behaviors. The goal was to train the child to correctly name up to 10 pictures presented individually. Two training modes were used. For one, the therapist spoke at the time (live voice). For the other, she presented a tape recording of her voice via a Language Master. The results suggested that the child's responses to the Language Master were as good as, if not better than, his responses to the live-voice presentations. In addition, observation indicated that he responded more readily to the Language Master presentations. His spontaneous speech was also noted by independent observers to improve in his classroom and in his home. Possible reasons for the improvement in verbal expression are considered.

An objective measurement of nonspeaking children's performance with a computer-controlled program for the stimulation of language behavior

A method is described for recording a child's performance with a computer-controlled audio-visual device designed to stimulate language behavior in nonspeaking children. From the recorded data a child's position can be estimated on a curve derived from normal children. This position could be of value in planning treatment for a nonspeaking child and assessing his progress.

[Some reflections a propos of an experiment in family therapy]

A social assistant in conjonction with a multidimensional team in child psychiatry followed the progress of family therapy over a few years. The reason for this family therapy was based on the difficulty the parents had in expressing their conflicts through oral communication. It is chiefly by actual encounterances and a sub-verbal dialog that this experiment was carried out. This project was able to be investigated by having great freedom of openness by elaboration of each structure and with transferential attitudes. This experiment was carried out on 40 cases; however only 4 are described to illustrate the method.

The conditioning of language in a nonverbal child conducted in a special education classroom

The purpose of this study was twofold: first, to assess the feasibility of conducting speech conditioning sessions within a preschool classroom, and second, to examine the process of transfer of learned verbalizations from those sessions to classroom free time. The results indicated that the former was not only feasible but effective. A nonverbal boy, enrolled in a special education preschool, was taught to imitate reliably six words in 46 15-minute sessions. Furthermore, the child's use of spontaneous whole words during the rest of the classroom day seemed to be responsive to the contingencies of the speech sessions.

Environmental language intervention: the rationale for a diagnostic and training strategy through rules, context, and generalization

The Environmental Language Intervention Strategy is proposed as a singular approach to the diagnosis and training of individuals with severely delayed expressive language. The strategy places in a clinical framework the semantically based approach to grammar of Bloom, Schlesinger, and Brown by selecting as the content for diagnosis and for training those eight rules governing the semantic functions of early two-word utterances in a variety of languages. The rules are elicited with linguistic and nonlinguistic cues that represent the full environmental context of the utterance. The strategy also samples and trains the early language rules in imitation, conversation, and play in order to include, from the beginning of intervention, procedures for training generalization of new language classes to spontaneous use. The theoretical rationale for the strategy is discussed, and operational definitions of the rules are presented. The procedures for using the strategy in diagnosis and training are introduced.

Three case studies in language training: applied linguistics

Language sampling procedures were applied before and after training with three children. Training was based directly on linguistic analysis of the children’s pretraining language samples. Data from the posttraining samples showed that the children applied certain grammatical rules more frequently after training.

Voice therapy with a group of language-delayed children

Voice therapy with a group of language-delayed children demands reduction of the level of abstraction of basic concepts. In this case study, listening tasks are carefully patterned in steps of graduated difficulty, leading to the development of a continuum of perceptual judgments. Thus a framework for vocal monitoring is established before expressive goals are introduced.

Establishing imitative speech employing operant techniques in a group setting

Language therapy programs using operant techniques to establish imitative language behavior in children with language deficits and behavior disturbances have been described previously. In those programs the clinician, or more often a team of clinicians, worked with one child at a time. In this study a team worked with four children as a group. These children appeared to progress at a rate approximately equal to that of children receiving similar therapy individually. As there were several advantages to the group therapy, the authors urge further consideration of group therapy for this type of disorder.