The Gluten-and Casein-Free Diet and Autism: Communication Outcomes From a Preliminary Double-Blind Clinical Trial
Abstract
This study retrospectively examined the efficacy of 8 gluten-free and
case in-free (GFCF) diet intervention as a means to improve verbal/nonverbal
communication in children withautismspectrumdisorders.Data were analyzed
retrospectively from a randomized, double-blind, repeated measures cross
over design study that included 13 children aged 2-16 years with autism
spectrum disorders. Video recordings of at-home parent-child play were
analyzed. Recordings were made at baseline, after 6 weeks on one of the
diets (GFC For regular diet),and after 6 weeks on the alternate diet .
Findings of the current study indicated no statistically significant differences
in verbal and nonverbal communication outcomes between GFCF and regular
diet conditions. While results of this study demonstrate that double-blind
clinical trials of diet intervention are feasible, they are inconclusive
regarding the efficacy of diet for improving communication. perhaps due
to the relatively short period of diet intervention used. Directions for
future research are discussed as well as Implications for clinical practice.
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Intervention Outcomes of a Bilingual Child with Autism
Abstract
This longitudinal case study examined a child who was initially diagnosed
with language delay at age 3 and subsequently diagnosed with autism at
age 3 years 6 months. This case study is particularly interesting because
it followed the child for 24 months and evaluated the efficacy of a unique
Korean-English bilingual speech-language intervention. Speech-language
intervention was provided twice weekly in his primary language, Korean,
for the first 12 months by a Korean-English bilingual speech-language
clinician. During the next 6 months, the intervention was gradually introduced
in English; and by the final 6 months, the intervention was provided almost
entirely in English. This study also incorporated information regarding
parent interventions that was implemented by the parents at home. The
child in this report made notable gains in expressive and receptive language
development in both languages over the study period as well as decreases
in aberrant behaviors. At the 24-month follow-up,he was able to respond
to testing that was done completely in English. The results of this study
support the practice of providing services in the primary language when
English is not the language used at home to establish linguistic foundation
of the primary language. As the child makes gains in the primary language,
a gradual transition can be made to .intervention in English. Results
of this study have important implications for future "research and clinical
decision making for assisting families of children from a variety of cultural
and ethnic backgrounds. Click Here to
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Approaches to Speech-Language Intervention and the True Believer
Abstract
Treatment approaches in speech-language therapy are sometimes selected
and justified on the basis of a clinician's experience that "it works."
Moreover, it has been argued (e.g., Kamhi, 1999) that such clinical judgment
is, in principle, sound and should be endorsed. Contrary to this view,
five extraneous effects are presented as confounding influences that invalidate
clinical judgment as the sole basis for adopting a therapy approach. Clinicians
should always question whether observed changes in their patients are
due to their interventions or to extraneous effects. Possible controls
for these effects are double- blind and single subject repeated measures.
Research design suggestions are presented, with descriptions of the five
extraneous effects. Click Here to download
the full article.
Linguistic characteristics of individuals with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome
Abstract
This study examined the linguistic characteristics of high functioning
individuals with autism and Asperger syndrome. Each group consisted of
10 participants who were matched on sex, chronological age, and intelligence
scores. Participants generated a narrative after watching a brief video
segment of the Social Attribution Task video. Each participant was then
asked 10 questions related to the stimulus video. The narrative samples
and responses to the questions were analyzed linguistically. Individuals
with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome performed similarly
on most measures of language function; however, results suggest there
may be pragmatically-based differences between the groups in the use of
verb tense markers. Click Here to
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Twin Language Development: A Case Study of a Twin with a Cochlear Implant and a Twin with Typical Hearing
Abstract
This study was a longitudinal examination (21 month follow-up) of language
development in a pair of fraternal twins. One twin received a cochlear
implant at age 20 months secondary to sensorineural hearing loss. The
other twin had normal hearing. Data were obtained every 6 months following
her initial cochlear implant stimulation. Both twins showed delayed expressive
vocabulary skills at initial testing, but both demonstrated an expanding
vocabulary over time. Receptive vocabulary of the twin with the cochlear
implant at age 41 months was within the average range, but expressive
vocabulary performance was delayed. When adjusted for length of implant
use, expressive vocabulary performance was age appropriate. The twin with
normal hearing progressed faster in expressive vocabulary development
and performed within the average range by age 41 months. Click
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Verbal communication outcomes in children with autism after in-home father training
Abstract
Background This retrospective study examined the efficacy of
in-home father training on the communicative outcomes of children with
autism. The in home training consisted of two components: (I) expectant
waiting; and (2) imitation with animation.
Methods Efficacy of parent training was examined by measuring
the ratio of utterances produced by the parents to the utterances produced
by the children and the number of verbal imitation by the parents. Outcomes
of the children's verbal production were examined by measuring the number
of (I) single word utterances; (2) different words produced; and (3) verbal
response to questions.
Results
Following training there was a decrease in
the ratio of parent to child utterances and an increase
in (I) the use of imitation by the parents; and (2) the
number of single words and different words produced
by the children.
Discussion
Results of this study suggested that the
parents had learned to wait for their children to communicate
verbally during communicative interactions
and to interact more efficiently with their children by
using verbal imitation. Overall, the results of this study support the efficacy of parent training that
focuses on promotion of social reciprocity, and have
important implications for clinicians and future
research.
Keywords
autism, communication, communication
outcome, father training, social reciprocity
intervention
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Sentence memory of individuals with Down syndrome and typically developing children
Abstract
Background Individuals with Down’s syndrome (DS) have an auditory
short-term memory span disproportionately shorter than the non-verbal
mental age (MA). This study evaluated the Baddeley model’s claim that
verbal short-term memory deficits might arise from slower speaking rates
(and thus less material rehearsed in a 2 s passive store) by using the
sentence memory subtest of the Stanford-Binet. Previous work had shown
digit span recall speaking rate to be comparable to the examiner’s slow
rate (one syllable per second) for both DS and language matched participants.
Method
Thirty individuals with DS were compared
to two control groups [non-verbal MA-matched and
mean length of utterance (MLU)-matched] on the
sentence span and speaking rate for the longest
verbatim recalled sentence. Sentence stimuli were
presented at a normal speaking rate.
Results
The DS group had shorter sentence memory
span than the MA-matched group and a faster,
rather than slower, speaking rate (syllables per second)
than the MLU-matched controls.
Conclusions
Language production level accounted
for a substantial portion of the variance in the sentence
memory span in the DS group. Thus, language
production skill, rather than speaking rate, predicts
variability in verbal memory span.
Keywords
Down’s syndrome, language production
deficit, phonological loop, sentence memory,
speaking rate, working memory.
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The effect of story presentation rates on story retelling by individuals with Down syndrome
Abstract
The current study examined the effect of story presentation rates on story
recall performance in 35 individuals with Down syndrome and 3 control
groups (35 mental age matched, 35 syntax comprehension matched, and 35
syntax production matched children). Three short audiotaped stories were
presented to each individual at three different rates (normal, storyteller
[slow with expressive inflections], and slow rate). The effect of group
but not rate was significant. Individuals with Down syndrome recalled
more content words than the production-matched group and the production
matched group recalled fewer content words than the mental age matched
and comprehension matched groups. The results were interpreted in relation
to working memory deficits in individuals with Down syndrome, developmental
change in story recall of typically developing children, and the contribution
of syntax comprehension to story recall. Click
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Digit Span in Individuals With Down Syndrome and in Typically Developing Children: Temporal Aspects
Abstract
This study explored factors influencing digit span performance in individuals with
Down syndrome. The following questions were asked: Is there a deficit in the
phonological loop, either in articulatory rehearsal (measured in speaking rate
and recall latency) or in the passive store (measured in recall duration)? Is
reduced auditory short-term memory associated with a language production
deficit? Thirty five adolescents with trisomy 21 Down syndrome were compared to
35 mental-age-matched and 35 language-production-matched controls. There
was no group difference in speaking rate. The DS group had shorter digit spans
than the MA controls. Language production level accounted for substantial
variance in digit span in individuals with Down syndrome.
KEY WORDS: Down syndrome, digit span, working memory, phonological
loop, language production deficit
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Predicting Language Production in Children and Adolescents With Down Syndrome: The Role of Comprehension
Abstract
Predictors of language production skills in 12-minute narratives are investigated
cross-sectionally in 48 children and adolescents with Down syndrome (trisomy
21), aged 5 to 20 years, in comparison to 48 control children aged 2 to 6 years
matched statistically for nonverbal mental age and mother’s years of education.
Two models were evaluated by hierarchical regression analyses using predictors
drawn from the domains of group membership, chronological age, cognition,
socioeconomic status, and hearing screening status (Model I) and, additionally,
comprehension performance (Model II). Results showed that Model II was more
successful. In the DS group, it explained 68% of the variability in number of
different words, 80% in MLU, and 32% in intelligibility. Corresponding percentages
for the control group were 72%, 71%, and 26%. A mechanism linking
comprehension of input to early stages of production practice through activation
of the early speech motor area is proposed.
KEY WORDS: Down syndrome, mental retardation, language
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