VERBAL INFERENCE IN SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN WITH ASD, LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT, & TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT

Transcription

1 VERBAL INFERENCE IN SCHOOL AGE CHILDREN WITH ASD, LANGUAGE IMPAIRMENT, & TYPICAL DEVELOPMENT 2014 ASHA Convention Orlando, Florida November 21, 2014 Margaret Yuk, Kelli Linder, Allison Haskill, & Sophia Kelly Augustana College The speakers do not have relevant financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

2 content/uploads/2013/08/kids school bus.jpg + Will he be able to infer what to do?

3 + Knowledge & skills required to be successful in college and careers Expectations gap Students knowledge when leaving high school (Achieve, 2013)

4 Third Grader Common Core Standards (Common Core Standards, 2012) Distinguish the literal and nonliteral meanings of words and phrases in context Inference Skills Required Use context to infer the meaning of the unknown word Infer implied meaning rather than surface level meanings Ninth Grader Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in the text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the cumulative impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone Comprehend complex textual information and figurative language Infer implied meaning rather than surface level meanings Infer connection between main topic and evidence; provide rationale for reasoning

5 + Skills Related to Inference Theory of Mind (Karasinski & Ellis Weismer, 2010) Comprehension of Linguistic Input Metacognitive Skills Global Knowledge (Kamhi & Catts, 2012) Higher Level Thinking

6 Populations that may have Inference Deficits Autism Spectrum Disorder Theory of Mind Mason, Williams, Kana, Minshew, & Just, 2008 Peterson, Slaughter, & Paynter, 2007 Language Impairment Comprehension Karasinski & Ellis Weismer, 2010 Westby, 2011

7 Purpose Develop a deeper understanding of inference skills in school age children and adolescents with ASD and LI Identify potential starting points for intervention focused on inference subskills Identify the effects of context, verbal input, and question type on inference task performance

8 + Between and within participant groups, does inference performance vary as a function of support (verbal vs. nonverbal)? Between and within participant groups, does inference performance vary as a function of context (book, film clip, or science experiment?) Research Questions Between and within participant groups, does inference performance vary by inference question type (how, why, what if)?

9 + Method: Participants Group n (boys, girls) M age (SD) ASD 7 (6, 1) 10;3 (2) LI 7 (4, 3) 11;0 (1;6) TD 7 (5, 2) 11;3 (2;1)

10 + Introduction of the rubric Brief priming task Book Verbal why, how, what if? Nonverbal why, how, what if? Experiment Verbal why, how, what if? Nonverbal why, how, what if? Video Verbal why, how, what if? Nonverbal why, how, what if? Procedures

11 Three Populations One Priming Task Six Tasks Picture Book Picture Book (2) Film Clip (2) (2) Experiment (2) Verbal Nonverbal Verbal Nonverbal Verbal Nonverbal

12 A perfect #1 answer: - is in complete sentence form (that usually restates the question) - relates to the question (if the question is about cats, the answer is about cats) - includes specific, descriptive information ( telling words that relate to features like size or color) - answers the question A good #2 answer: - in in complete sentence form - relates to the question - answers the question - does not include specific information or details An okay #3 answer: - is not in complete sentence form - sort of relates to the question - answers the question - is vague - is slightly off topic A poor #4 answer: - is not in complete sentence form - does not include specific information - is vague - is incorrect - is off topic

13 Priming Task Question: Jose wanted a glass of milk, but after looking in the refrigerator, he drank orange juice instead. Why? Below are 4 possible answers to this question. I want you to think about our rating instructions and rate the answer that you think is best as a #1 and the answer that you think is the worst as a #4. When you are done, I am going to ask you why you gave the best answer, your + #1, that rating, and also why you gave the worst answer, your #4, that rating. Possible answers: Jose drank orange juice because the milk tasted sour. He couldn t find the milk. Jose has a dog that drinks milk. He liked orange juice so much that he poured himself a glass.

14 For the Birds Example of Video Stimuli (Montserrat, 2011)

15 + What would have happened if the little birds had not pecked at the big bird s feet? If the little birds had not peck at the big bird s feet, the big bird s feet would not have hurt. The little birds would have been friends with the big bird. If the little birds had not pecked the big bird s feet, the big bird would not have fallen. They would have gone out to dinner with the big bird. Rationale for #1 ranking (transcribe child s response) Rationale for #4 ranking (transcribe child s response)

16 + Example of Book Stimuli (Mayer, 2003)

17 + Story #1 (nonverbal condition) Order presented: (circle) A Boy, a Dog, and a Frog Instructions: I am going to have you look at the pictures of a book that is about a boy and a frog. There are no words, so I want you to read the book by looking at the pictures. When you are done, close the book and I will ask you three questions about it. Why did the boy leave the forest without the frog? The boy was wet and tired. The frog had bumps on his back. The boy left the forest because he could not catch the frog. The boy left the forest because it was bath time. Rationale for #1 ranking (transcribe child s response) Rationale for #4 ranking (transcribe child s response)

18 +Experiment #2 (verbal condition) Order presented: (circle) Density Tower Instructions: Now we are going to do a science experiment. I will give you directions. Please do exactly what I say to complete the project. After we are done, I will ask you three questions. Why did the plastic ball go to the top of the jar? Jars work well for holding plastic balls. It was filled with air. The other objects in the jar were holding the ball in place at the top of the jar. The ball was the lightest object, so it floated to the top. Rationale for #1 ranking (transcribe child s response) Rationale for #4 ranking (transcribe child s response)

19 Results: Performance by Context Percent Correct ASD** LI TD Total Sample Population * Context Picture Book Experiment Video Clip

20 Results: Performance by Condition Percent Correct (Verbal / Nonverbal) ASD** LI TD Total Sample Population * Support Verbal Nonverbal

21 Results: Accuracy by Question Type Percent Correct Best Answer Question Type Why? How? What if? ASD* LI TD Population

22 Results: Inference Question Type 100 Worst Answer 90 Percent Correct Question Type Why? How? What if? ASD* LI TD Population

23 + Discussion Overview: In this study, the complex phenomenon of verbal inference skills was examined by considering several factors: Disorder Condition (verbal vs nonverbal) Type of question (how, why, what if) Context (book, video, experiment)

24 + Discussion, continued School age children with ASD and LI had significantly poorer inference skills than their TD peers, using a multiple choice format. Children with ASD consistently had the poorest performance of the 3 groups May be related to deficits in theory of mind/perspective taking Metalinguistically demanding task for selecting best and worst responses

25 + Discussion, continued: Clinical Implications Consider a hierarchy of complexity when selecting stimuli for inference intervention. Strongest to weakest performance: Book, video, application activity (e.g., experiment) It was somewhat surprising that participants in all three groups had stronger performance in nonverbal than verbal conditions. It may be helpful, at least in the initial phases of intervention, to provide strong visual support and gradually increase verbal as inference performance becomes stronger.

26 + Discussion, continued Future Research Compare performance on multiple choice vs. open ended formats Inference treatment efficacy studies What facilitating strategies are most effective for teaching verbal or written inference skills? What is the developmental trajectory for inference skills in children with ASD, LI and TD? What are the optimal contexts and conditions for targeting inference?

27 + Acknowledgments Dr. Allison Haskill Shannon Slick Dr. Fenwick Participants and their families o JVtw7ZZ58j8iBDmmlrUkaRg9SxTdkHaACeGO0AfKb9kA7SyzZfMy0TB3O0fmAf2q6CVQRcH1tR7 T8IRHc6Y*Icb11CzJ/Thankful.jpg

28 References Achieve, American Diploma Project Network. (2011). Closing the expectations gap 2011: Sixth annual 50 state progress report: On the alignment of high school policies with the demands of college and careers. Retrieved from Common Core State Standards Initiative. (2012). Retrieved at Kamhi, A. G., & Catts, H. W. (2012). Language and reading: Convergences and divergences. In A. G. Kamhi & H. W. Catts (Eds.), Language and reading disabilities (pp. 1 23). Boston, MA: Pearson. Karasinski, C., & Ellis Weismer, S. (2010). Comprehension of inferences in discourse processing by adolescents with and without language impairment. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 53, Mason, R. A., Williams, D. L., Kana, R. K., Minshew, N., & Just, M. A. (2008). Theory of mind disruption and recruitment of the right during narrative comprehension in autism. Neuropsychologia, 46, Peterson, C. C., Slaughter, V. P., & Paynter, J. (2007). Social maturity and theory of mind in typically developing children and those on the autism spectrum. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 48(12), Westby, C. (2011, November). Making inferences in oral and written discourse. Presented at the annual convention of the American Speech Language Hearing Association, San Diego, California.