Communication is a tool that takes many different forms. When most people hear this word, they think of verbal communication, as used in this article. However, even within verbal communication, there are many ways of expressing ideas, needs, and thoughts. Some of these methods of communication are more effective and efficient than others. Some are more disruptive.
Autistic individuals have social communicative differences that make it more difficult to develop and use effective communication strategies (American Psychological Association, 2022). These differences can interfere with their ability to advocate for themselves, maintain relationships with others, and function independently in a world that relies heavily on communication (Jobe & White, 2007).
Fortunately, early identification and intervention can significantly improve an autistic individual’s capacity to effectively communicate with others (Fuller & Kaiser, 2020). One of the most efficient methods of disseminating these intervention practices is through caregiver training (Kemerer et al, 2023). The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany has been implementing a virtual Early Start Denver Model-based caregiver training program to do just that. The Early Start Denver Model is a parent-mediated, naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention that can be used to increase goal-directed communication behaviors (Rogers, 2021). Importantly, this intervention has been shown to be beneficial for non-speaking children in providing them with the foundational skills needed to express their needs appropriately (Schuck et al, 2022).
This is particularly important in this population, given that non-speaking individuals are significantly more likely to develop disruptive behaviors when they do not have access to an alternative way of communicating (Hill et al, 2014). When early intervention programs like the Early Start Denver Model have not been used or they are insufficient, autistic children may develop behaviors that impact their quality of life and their ability to advocate for themselves.
That is when a caregiver training program like the Research Units in Behavioral Intervention can be implemented to address these disruptive behaviors and provide nonspeaking children and adolescents with an alternative means of meeting their needs (Bearss et al, 2018). Through an evidence-based strategy called Functional Communication Training, in combination with various other behavioral strategies and environmental accommodations, non-speaking autistic individuals can be taught to use tools like AAC devices to effectively and efficiently communicate their desires to others (Bearss et al, 2018). The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany has been implementing a virtual, group-based psychoeducational program to disseminate this evidence-based information to families in the Capital region of New York for several years, with outcomes indicating that families significantly benefit from this resource.
Specifically, families who participate in this program work with clinical psychologists and licensed clinical social workers to identify the reason why their child is engaging in disruptive behaviors—whether it’s to access a preferred item or to get out of a less-preferred activity. After determining the function of the behavior, families are coached on how to teach their child a more effective, more efficient, and less disruptive communicative tool for achieving their goal. Ideally, this tool is something they can use outside of their family and will give them the means of advocating for themselves well into their adult life.
Through caregiver training programs like ESDM and RUBI, families can be empowered to provide their children with communicative tools that will serve them for the rest of their lives. Communication can take many different forms and through evidence-based resources like those discussed, we can help non-speaking individuals develop tools that will best enable them to meet their short-term and long-term goals.
Daniel Magin, MA, is a Doctoral Candidate; Hanna Kent, MA, is a Graduate Assistant; Melissa L. Rinaldi is a Clinical Psychologist; and Kristin V. Christodulu, PhD, is a Clinical Professor, all at the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities at the University at Albany, SUNY. For more information, call (518) 442-1460, email dmagin@albany.edu, and visit www.albany.edu/autism.
References
Bearss, K., Johnson, C. R., Handen, B. L., Butter, E., Lecavalier, L., Smith, T., & Scahill, L. (2018). Parent Training for Disruptive Behavior: The RUBI Autism Network, Clinician Manual. Oxford University Press.
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, Text Revision American Psychiatric Association. (2022). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., text rev.). American Psychiatric Association Publishing.
Fuller, E. A., & Kaiser, A. P. (2020). The effects of early intervention on social communication outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder: A meta-analysis. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50(5), 1683-1700.
Hill, A. P., Zuckerman, K. E., Hagen, A. D., Kriz, D. J., Duvall, S. W., Van Santen, J., … & Fombonne, E. (2014). Aggressive behavior problems in children with autism spectrum disorders: Prevalence and correlates in a large clinical sample. Research in autism spectrum disorders, 8(9), 1121-1133.
Jobe, L. E., & White, S. W. (2007). Loneliness, social relationships, and a broader autism phenotype in college students. Personality and Individual Differences, 42(8), 1479-1489.
Kemmerer, A. R., Vladescu, J. C., DeBar, R. M., Sidener, T. M., & Bell, M. C. (2023). A scoping review of the caregiver training literature for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Behavioral Interventions, 38(3), 767-792.
Rogers, S. J. (2021). Early start Denver model. In Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders (pp. 1576-1584). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
Schuck, R. K., Tagavi, D. M., Baiden, K. M., Dwyer, P., Williams, Z. J., Osuna, A., … & Vernon, T. W. (2022). Neurodiversity and autism intervention: Reconciling perspectives through a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention framework. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 52(10), 4625-4645.
