Date Presented 4/19/2018
We used a speech recognition system and a global positioning system to measure how adult–child verbal interactions differed by community setting for children with and without autism spectrum disorder. This research can aid in supporting and evaluating interventions in families’ natural environments and routines.
Primary Author and Speaker: Lauren Little
Additional Authors and Speakers: Dwight Irvin
PURPOSE AND BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess how community participation is associated with language development among families of children aged 3–8 yr with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using precise, objective measures: Language ENvironmental Analysis (LENA; Boulder, CO) and Qstarz (Taipei, Taiwan), a global positioning system (GPS). Using these precise speech recognition and location measures allowed us to evaluate how different community settings allowed children with ASD opportunities to practice social communication skills. Our specific research question was, How do adult talk and adult–child interactions differ by community setting for children with and without ASD?
For young children with ASD, enhanced language environments within community settings (e.g., grocery store) have the potential to positively affect developmental difficulties. However, it unknown how much caregivers are talking with their child across community contexts and whether this amount differs when the child has ASD. The integration of precise measures of place and language allows for a more holistic understanding of the adult language and adult–child conversational turns that children with ASD experience in the community.
METHOD: We used a concurrent observational design to determine social communication exchanges across different community settings. We included 10 families of young children aged 3–8 yr, five with and five without a child with ASD. The LENA system consists of a digital language processor and speech recognition software. The Qstarz BT-Q1000XT is a GPS data logger capable of providing real-time location estimates on a 1-s metric. The LENA speech estimates (i.e., adult and child language; adult–child turns) and GPS location estimates were synchronized using MATLAB (MathWorks, Natick, MA).
Using a QGIS vector analysis tool (points in polygon), we associated the data points with the identified clusters of language activity. Aggregating the data into grouped locations allowed us to analyze the specific language environments of each activity location. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze adult language and adult–child turns within community settings (e.g., park, grocery store).
RESULTS: Children with ASD visited fewer places and experienced less adult talk compared with children without ASD. Those with ASD experienced the most adult-directed language at a grandparent’s home and the least at a restaurant, and the highest number of conversation turns occurred at the grocery store.
CONCLUSION: These findings are particularly meaningful because they point to potential differences in adult–child interactions between caregivers of children with and without ASD in specific community contexts, which can inform occupational therapy practice and family-centered interventions in community settings. This research can aid occupational therapy practitioners in supporting and evaluating interventions embedded into the natural environment and routines of families. Additionally, our speech–location measurement approach could aid practitioners in promoting the community participation of children with ASD.
IMPACT STATEMENT: For use in intervention, the combination of LENA and Qstarz can allow occupational therapy practitioners to better understand the community participation of families of children with ASD and the language opportunities and practice that children experience across settings. One of the profession’s research priorities is to develop instruments that simultaneously evaluate person, occupation, and environment. The novel combination of measures presented in this study demonstrates an objective, observer-free measurement of person and environment factors with a path toward use in occupation-based interventions.
References
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