EFFECTIVENESS OF THE IPAD WITH THE PROLOQUO2GO APPLICATION FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM. Presented by, Melissa L. King, M.S.

Transcription

1 EFFECTIVENESS OF THE IPAD WITH THE PROLOQUO2GO APPLICATION FOR CHILDREN WITH AUTISM Presented by, Melissa L. King, M.S.

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3 PURPOSE Determine the efficacy of using the ipad with the Proloquo2Go application, as a voice output device, to enhance the mand (requesting) repertoire of children with autism using training comparable to that of Phases 1-4 of the PECS (Bondy & Frost, 1994) Speech emergence, in the form of vocal requests, was observed

4 METHODS Participants: Participant 1: Female Characteristics consistent with a diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder Minimal verbal repertoire of one word utterances Participant 2: Female Diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder Idiosyncratic speech Participant 3: Male Diagnosis of an Autism Spectrum Disorder Only made sounds

5 DESIGN & MEASURES Multiple probe design across participants Primary Dependent Measure: Percent correct responding for each session (10 trials) for Pretest probes and all intervention phases Operational definitions of correct responding was dependent upon the objective of the Phase Secondary Dependent Measure: Frequency of vocal requests

6 PROCEDURE Reinforcer Assessment for Individuals with Severe Disabilities (RAISD) 6-stimuli preference assessment Pretest Probes Phase 1 Phase 2 Phase 3a Phase 3b Phase 4

7 RAISD AND 6-STIMULI PREFERENCE ASSESSMENT RAISD conducted prior to beginning the study Interview format with parents and/or lead teacher 6 stimuli chosen from results of interview for the 6-stimuli preference assessment (Fisher, Piazza, Bowman, Hagopian, Owens, & Slevin, 1992). Preference assessment conducted prior to beginning each phase and any time participant appeared to be satiated with the items presented

8 PRETEST PROBES Objective: Obtain baseline levels of the participant s ability to communicate using the ipad with the Proloquo2Go application consistent with Phase 4 of training

9 PHASE 1: PAIR ICONS OF PREFERRED ITEMS WITH TANGIBLE OR EDIBLE PREFERRED ITEMS Objective: Teach the participant to press the button of the preferred item on the ipad in exchange for the preferred item that is present

10 Objective: PHASE 2: INCREASE DISTANCE BETWEEN COMMUNICATION PARTNER, PARTICIPANT, & IPAD For the participant to go to his/her ipad, pick up the ipad, travel to the communication partner, place the ipad on a hard surface within 1 foot of the communication partner, gain the communication partner s attention by orienting their body toward them, and pressing the button of the item they are requesting

11 Objective: PHASE 3A: DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN PREFERRED AND NONPREFERRED ITEMS ON THE IPAD Discriminate between preferred and nonpreferred items and press the button of the preferred item before receiving the preferred item from the communication partner

12 PHASE 3B: DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN MULTIPLE PREFERRED ITEMS ON THE IPAD Objective: Discriminate between multiple preferred items and press the button of the preferred item before receiving the requested item from the communication partner

13 PHASE 4: REQUEST USING I WANT (ITEM) Objective: Teach the participants to request using the phrase, I want (item) in combination with multiple pictures of preferred items on the ipad

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15 RESULTS All participants mastered Phases 1 3a Participant 1 was unable to complete Phase 4, despite modifications Contacted contingencies to obtain access to preferred items by pressing the series of buttons Multiple pressing of icons was shaped up during earlier phases Obtained speech emergence in earlier phases than in PECS literature Anecdotal reports: Decrease in challenging behavior for Participants 1 and 2 Increase in stereotypy for Participant 3

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17 Number of Sessions to Complete Each Phase Phases Participant 1 Participant 2 Participant 3 Phase Phase Phase 3a Phase 3b 9 7 Phase 4 17+

18 VOCAL REQUESTS Participant 1 Participant 2 Participant 3 Pretest Probes Phase Phase Phase 3a Phase 3b 26 4 Phase 4 71 Vocal Requests: any instance of vocal requesting (vocal approximation or full verbal request ) of an item that is present or out of sight and before, with, or after the ipad voice output element was enabled.

19 DISCUSSION Results from this study support that: the ipad with the Proloquo2Go application can be effective as a voice output device to enhance the manding repertoire of 3 children with autism, or characteristics of autism, when using training comparable to Phases 1 4 of the Picture Exchange Communication System Speech can emerge in the form of vocal requesting No empirical studies to date have been conducted regarding the ipad with the Proloquo2Go application to enhance the mand repertoire for children with autism

20 LIMITATIONS 1 st empirical study = further research needed Generalization of the results? Technological difficulties and lack of technological background Durability of the ipad?

21 FUTURE RESEARCH Replicate this study Continue through more phases of the PECS Generalization to novel communication partners and novel settings

22 REFERENCES Bondy, A., & Frost, L. (1994). The picture exchange communication system. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 9, Fisher, W., Piazza, C. C., Bowman, L. G., Hagopian, L. P., Owens, J. C., & Slevin, I. (1992). A comparison of two approaches for identifying reinforcers for persons with severe and profound disabilities. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 25,

23 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Thesis Advisor: Dr. Ruth Anne Rehfledt Thesis Committee Member: Dr. Valerie Boyer Graduate Students: Kazu Takeguchi and Shaina Barry

24 THANK YOU

25 CONTACT INFORMATION Melissa L. King, M.S. Doctoral Student, Munroe-Meyer Institute Nebraska Medical Center Omaha, NE