Rett syndrome (RTT) occurs primarily in females and is characterized by deficits in cognition, communication, hand use and ambulation. This quasi-experimental study explored the use of a coaching program to increase communicative interactions between girls with RTT and their communication partners. Communication coaching strategies were provided to adults who worked with four girls with RTT during mealtime in their classrooms. Data analysis revealed that the number of bids for communication increased over time for all girls with RTT. Feeders waited longer for girls to respond, used fewer conversational fillers and responded to the girls’ behaviors as if they were intentional. These observations suggest communication coaching may be a valuable tool clinicians can use to enrich communicative interactions in the classroom for these individuals with severe communication impairments. Limitations and suggestions for further research are discussed.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed., text rev.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
AmirR. E.ZoghbiH. Y. (2000). Rett syndrome: Methyl- CpG-binding protein 2 mutations and phenotype-genotype correlations. American Journal of Medical Genetics, 97, 147–152.
3.
AugensteinK.LaneJ.HortonA.SchanenC.PercyA. (2009). Variable phenotypic expression of MECP2 mutation in a family. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 1, 313–317.
4.
BartolottaT. E.ZippG. P.SimpkinsS.GlazewskiB. (2011). Communication skills in girls with Rett syndrome. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 26, 15–24.
5.
BuddenS.MeekM.HenighanC. (1990). Communication and oral-motor function in Rett syndrome. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 32, 51–55.
6.
CalculatorS.BlackT. (2009). Validation of an inventory of best practices in the provision of augmentative and alternative communication services to students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 18, 329–342.
7.
CassH.ReillyS.OwenL.WisbeachA. (2003). Findings from a multidisciplinary clinical case series of females with Rett syndrome. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 45, 325–337.
8.
FyfeS.DownsJ.McIlroyO.BurfordB.ListerJ.ReillyS.. . .LeonardH. (2007). Development of a video-based evaluation tool in Rett syndrome. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 37, 1636–1646.
9.
HetzroniO.RubinC. (2006). Identifying patterns of communicative behaviors in girls with Rett syndrome. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 22, 48–61.
10.
JacobsenK.VikenA.Von TetzchnerA. (2001). Rett Syndrome and ageing: A case study. Disability & Rehabilitation, 23, 3-4. 160-166.
11.
JohnstonM. V.MullaneyB.BlueM. E. (2003). Neurobiology of Rett syndrome. Journal of Child Neurology, 18, 688–692.
12.
KerrA.EngerstromI. W. (2001). The clinical background to the rett disorder. In KerrA.EngerstromI. W. (Eds.), Rett disorder and the developing brain (pp. 1–26). New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
13.
LavasJ.SlotteA.Jochym-NygrenM.Van DoornJ.EngerstromI. W. (2006). Communication and eating proficiency in 125 females with Rett syndrome: The Swedish Rett Center Survey. Disability and Rehabilitation, 28, 1267–1279.
14.
McReynoldsL. V.KearnsK. (1983). Single subject experimental designs in communicative disorders. Baltimore, MD: University Park Press.
15.
NaiduS.BibatG.KratzL.KelleyR. I.PevsnerJ.HoffmanE.JohnstonM. V. (2003). Clinical variability in Rett syndrome. Journal of Child Neurology, 18, 662–668.
16.
NeulJ. L.FangP.BarrishJ.LaneJ.CaegE.SmithE. O.. . . GlazeD. G. (2008). Specific mutations in methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 confer different severity in Rett syndrome. Neurology, 70, 1313–1321.
17.
NeulJ. L.KaufmannW. E.GlazeD. G.ChristodoulousJ.ClarkeA. J.Bahi-BuissonN.. . . PercyA. K. (2010). Rett syndrome: Revised diagnostic criteria and nomenclature. Annals of Neurology, 68, 944–950.
18.
PercyA. (2008). Rett syndrome: Recent research progress. Journal of Child Neurology, 23, 543–549.
19.
RowlandC. (2003). Cognitive skills and AAC. In LightJ. C.BeukelmanD. R.ReichleJ. (Eds.), Communicative competence for individuals who use AAC: From research to effective practice (pp. 241–275). Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes.
20.
RyanD.McGregorF.AkermanisM.SouthwellK.RamkeM.WoodyattG. (2004). Facilitating communication in children with multiple disabilities: Three case studies of girls with Rett syndrome. Disability and Rehabilitation, 26, 1268–1277.
21.
SackS.McLeanL.McLeanJ.SpradlinJ. (1992). Effects of increased opportunities within scripted activities on communication rates of individuals with severe retardation. Behavioral Residential Treatment, 7, 235–257.
22.
SandbergA. D.EhlersS.HagbergB.GillbergC. (2000). The Rett Syndrome complex: Communicative functions in relation to developmental and autistic features. Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, 4, 249–267.
23.
SchwartzH.DragerK. D. R. (2008). Training and knowledge in autism among speech-language pathologists: A survey. Language, Speech and Hearing Services in the Schools, 39, 66–77.
24.
SigafoosJ.DrasgowE.ReichleJ.O’ReillyM.TaitK. (2004). Tutorial: Teaching communicative rejecting to children with severe disabilities. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 13(1), 31-42.
25.
SigafoosJ.GreenV. A.SchlosserR.O’ReillyM. F.LancioniG. E.RispoliM.LangR. (2009). Communication intervention in Rett syndrome: A systematic review. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 3, 304–318.
26.
SigafoosJ.RobertsD.KerrM.CouzensD.BaglioniJ. A. (1994). Opportunities for communication in classrooms serving children with developmental disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 259–279.
27.
SkotkoB. G.KoppenhaverD. A.EricksonK. A. (2004). Parent reading behaviors and communication outcomes in girls with Rett Syndrome. Exceptional Children, 70, 1–22.
