Comparison of Fixed and Gradual Array When Teaching Sound-Letter Correspondence to Two Children with Autism who Use AAC

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare two conditions for teaching two children with autism (ages 4;10 and 5;4) who used Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) to point to the printed letter that corresponded to the spoken letter sounds of /t/ and /m/. In one condition (gradual array), the printed letter was first presented in isolation and then distracter letters were gradually introduced. In the other condition (fixed array), the printed letter was immediately presented in combination with seven distracter letters. Using an alternating treatment design, results revealed that the fixed array condition resulted in a faster rate of acquisition of target skills for both participants. Implications and directions for future research are discussed.

A comparison of methods for teaching receptive labeling to children with autism spectrum disorders: A systematic replication

“…Results of several studies call into question the practice of teaching simple discriminations to promote rapid acquisition of subsequent auditory-visual conditional discriminations (Doyle, Wolery, Ault, Gast, & Wiley, 1989;Gutierrez Johnston, Buchanan, & Davenport, 2009). The simple-conditional method teaches only simple visual stimulus control during early stages of training; no auditory control is required until several steps into the training sequence.…”

The Promise of Comprehensive Early Reading Instruction for Children With Autism and Recommendations for Future Directions

“…It is worth noting here that the terms code-based instruction (phonemic awareness, alphabetics, fluency, and phonics) and meaning-based instruction (vocabulary and comprehension) are sometimes used in the literature. The studies on code-based instruction tended to utilize small samples of children (N < 10) who had limited verbal communication skills and were in the early stages of learning to read (3-5 years of age; Benedek-Wood et al, 2016;Johnston et al, 2009) or who were older and had delayed reading development (11-15 years of age; Ainsworth et al, 2016;R. L. Bailey et al, 2011;Leytham et al, 2015).…”

Augmentative and Alternative Communication Supports for Language and Literacy in Preschool: Considerations for Down Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…44 Two additional studies were found that used adapted methods of letter-sound instruction for children who used AAC. 45,46 Johnston and colleagues 45 explored the efficacy of teaching letter-sound knowledge using a gradual-array compared with a fixedarray presentation of letters. Letters were presented on an 8.5´´Â 11´´sheet of paper.…”