Increasing verbal responsiveness in parents of children with autism:a pilot study

Abstract

Correlational studies have revealed a positive relationship between parent verbal responsiveness

and language outcomes in children with autism. We investigated whether parents of young

children on the autism spectrum could learn and implement the specific categories of verbal

responsiveness that have been suggested to facilitate language development. Parents were

taught to increase their verbal responsiveness in the context of a short-term language

intervention that included group parent education sessions, as well as individual and smallgroup

coaching sessions of parent–child play interactions. Parents in the treatment group

increased their use of comments that: described their child’s focus of attention; interpreted or

expanded child communication acts; and prompted child communication. Preliminary treatment

effects were also noted in children’s prompted and spontaneous communication. These results

support the use of parent-mediated interventions targeting verbal responsiveness to facilitate

language development and communication in young children with autism.
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