Teaching two children with autism spectrum disorder to use a speech-generating device

Many children with autism spectrum disorder have minimal speech and are therefore candidates for learning to use speech-generating devices. Previous research has mainly focused on teaching children to use speech-generating devices to request preferred objects. While this is an important communication function, it would seem equally important for children to learn other communication functions, such as learning to reject non-preferred objects and learning to request breaks from non-preferred activities. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate procedures for teaching two children with autism spectrum disorder to use speech-generating devices for these different communication functions. The first child was taught to request preferred foods and reject non-preferred foods. The second child was taught to request a preferred toy and request a break from learning activities. Intervention involved creating opportunities for communication and then applying time delay, graduated guidance, and contingent reinforcement procedures. With intervention, both children learned to use the speech-generating device to perform their two respective communication responses. The results suggest a promising approach for teaching multifunction use of speech-generating devices to children with autism spectrum disorder

Accounting and Medicine: An Exploratory Investigation into Physicians’ Attitudes Toward the Use of Standard Cost-Accounting Methods in Medicine

diagnostic related groups (DRGs), evidence based best practices (EBBP), grounded theory methodology, health care ethics, physician practices,

An evaluation of speech production in two boys with neurodevelopmental disorders who received communication intervention with a speech-generating device

Background Children with neurodevelopmental disorders often present with little or no speech. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aims to promote functional communication using non-speech modes, but it might also influence natural speech production. Method To investigate this possibility, we provided AAC intervention to two boys with neurodevelopmental disorders and severe communication impairment. Intervention focused on teaching the boys to use a tablet computer-based speech-generating device (SGD) to request preferred stimuli. During SGD intervention, both boys began to utter relevant single words. In an effort to induce more speech, and investigate the relation between SGD availability and natural speech production, the SGD was removed during some requesting opportunities. Results With intervention, both participants learned to use the SGD to request preferred stimuli. After learning to use the SGD, both participants began to respond more frequently with natural speech when the SGD was removed. Conclusion The results suggest that a rehabilitation program involving initial SGD intervention, followed by subsequent withdrawal of the SGD, might increase the frequency of natural speech production in some children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This effect could be an example of response generalization