The Comparative Effects of Simple and Complex Instructional Language on the Acquisition and Generalization of Receptive Language Tasks by Children with Autism
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THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF SIMPLE AND COMPLEX INSTRUCTIONAL LANGUAGE ON THE ACQUISITION AND GENERALIZATION OF RECEPTIVE LANGUAGE TASKS BY CHILDREN WITH AUTISM A Dissertation Prepared in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Corinne Marie Murphy, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 2006 Doctoral Examination Committee: Approved by Dr. William L. Heward, Advisor __________________ Dr. Diane M. Sainato Advisor Dr. Jacqueline W. Wynn College of Education iiii ABSTRACT Research is needed to identify effective and efficient instructional methods for teaching receptive language skills to children with autism. Six preschoolers, ages 3-6 years, diagnosed with autism participated in two experiments on the effects of simple or complex instructional language on the children's acquisition and generalization of receptive language tasks. Each session in Experiment I consisted of 10 discrete discrimination training trials in which the teacher used either simplified instructional language (e.g., "pencil" for an object identification task) or complex language (e.g., "Remember, balls are fun to throw and play catch with. Can you find the one?") for each trial. The dependent variable was the number of sessions required to master an item (at least 90% correct responses for two consecutive sessions). Results of Experiment I showed all children learned receptive tasks in fewer sessions when their teachers used simple instructional language rather than complex language. In Experiment II, the teacher presented items with simple language that the child had mastered with complex language in Experiment I, and vice versa. Results of Experiment II showed that the youngest children (3 years old) were more accurate when responding to simple language for items that had been taught with complex language in Experiment I. The oldest children (6 years old) responded with ii 100% accuracy to complex and simple instructions. The children who were 4 years old showed no difference in responding between simple and complex instructions. iii For Grandma iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I thank my faculty advisor, Dr. William Heward, for being a tremendous source of support, encouragement, and guidance throughout my graduate studies at The Ohio State University. He has continually served as a mentor, an editor, and a friend for five years. He remained my advisor after becoming professor emeritus and for that I am eternally grateful. I am also grateful for the guidance and encouragement of my committee members, Dr. Diane Sainato and Dr. Jacqueline Wynn. Both these women have taught and guided me through the entirety of my graduate career. I will always think of them as mentors and friends. I extend my gratitude to the 6 children of 4 families who participated in this study. During the course of the study these children participated in over 600 study sessions and learned over 115 new receptive labels. Good work! I thank my colleagues at Children’s Hospital Autism Center who administered the study sessions and generalization assessments. Over 30 instructional aides were trained on the study procedures and conducted the study sessions. Without their hard work and tremendous attention to detail this study would not have been possible. I am also especially grateful to Cherie Fishbaugh for adding extra work to an already hectic schedule to serve as a second observer for the study. She also lent her ear when it was needed. She is a lifelong friend and a colleague. A special thank you to my parents, Patrick & Eileen, my brother, Brendan, and my sister-in-law, Kate. Even when I did not believe it myself, they knew I would finish. Thank you for your never-ending love and support. v VITA March 19, 1978 ......................................................................................Born – Carmel, NY 2000............. B.A. Psychology and Speech & Hearing Science, The Ohio State University 2003...................................... M.A. Applied Behavior Analysis, The Ohio State University 2000-Present .....................................Case Supervisor, Children’s Hospital Autism Center, ....................................................................................................................... Columbus, OH 2003-Present ............................... Graduate Research Assistant, The Ohio State University Field of Study Major Field: Education Special Education Applied Behavior Analysis vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract............................................................................................................................... ii Dedication.......................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements..............................................................................................................v Vita..................................................................................................................................... vi List of Tables .......................................................................................................................x List of Figures.................................................................................................................... xi 1. Introduction......................................................................................................................1 Purpose of Study......................................................................................................6 Research Questions..................................................................................................7 Glossary of Terms....................................................................................................9 2. Literature Review...........................................................................................................14 Autism.....................................................................................................................14 Language of Children with Autism.........................................................................17 Treatments...............................................................................................................19 Language Acquisition within Treatments...............................................................32 Conclusion ..............................................................................................................36 3. Method ...........................................................................................................................38 Participants.............................................................................................................38 Alpha.........................................................................................................40 Beta ...........................................................................................................42 Gamma......................................................................................................43 Delta..........................................................................................................44 Epsilon ......................................................................................................45 Six .............................................................................................................46 Experimenter..........................................................................................................48 Instructional Aides.................................................................................................48 Generalization Assessors .......................................................................................48 Setting ....................................................................................................................49 Materials ................................................................................................................49 Definition and Measurement of Dependent Variables...........................................50 Procedures to Enhance Believability of the Data ..................................................52 vii Interobserver Agreement ...........................................................................52 Procedural Integrity ...................................................................................52 Independent Variables ...........................................................................................53 Simple Verbal Instruction..........................................................................53 Complex Verbal Instruction.......................................................................53 Experimental Design..............................................................................................54 Procedures..............................................................................................................55 Pretest.........................................................................................................55 General Procedures ....................................................................................55 Experiment I...............................................................................................56 Experiment II ............................................................................................59 Obtaining Parents’ and Aides Opinions ....................................................60 4.