Preschool Peer-Mediated AAC Intervention (Thiemann-Bourque et al., 2016)
journal contribution
posted on 2022-02-23, 05:27 authored by Kathy Thiemann-Bourque, Nancy Brady, Sara McGuff, Keenan Stump, Amy NaylorPurpose: This study was conducted to investigate the
effectiveness of a social intervention that integrates
peer-mediated approaches and the Picture Exchange
Communication System (PECS).
Method: Effects were evaluated using a series of A-B
designs replicated across 4 children with severe autism
and limited verbal skills. Seven peers without disabilities
were trained to use PECS and facilitative social skills.
Measures of changes included rates of communication
behaviors, modes, functions, and engagement.
Results: Outcomes revealed an intervention effect for
1 child with autism, and this effect was replicated across
3 other children. All children improved in peer-directed
communication, with greater increases for 2 children during
snack time. For each child with autism, the primary
communication behavior was to initiate with picture
symbols to request; the peer’s primary communication
was to respond. Two children increased communicative
functions to comment and to share, and all 4 children
showed improved social engagement. All peers increased
their communication with the children with autism.
Conclusions: These findings add to the limited research
on the benefits of teaching typically developing peers
to be responsive listeners to preschoolers with autism
by learning to use PECS. These results invite further
investigation of teaching peers other augmentative and
alternative communication approaches and how to increase
children’s communication with peers for different purposes.
