Joann P. Benigno

Effect of Foster Care on Young Children's Language Learning.

This report examines 174 young childrens language outcomes in the Bucharest Early Intervention Project, the first randomized trial of foster placement after institutional care. Age of foster placement was highly correlated with language outcomes. Placement by 15 months led to similar expressive and receptive language test scores as typical age peers at 30 and 42 months. Placement from 15 to 24 months also led to dramatic language improvement. In contrast, children placed after 24 months had the same severe language delays as children in institutional care. Language samples at 42 months confirmed that placement after 24 months led to lower expressive skill.

Language and theory of mind in preschool children with specific language impairment.

UNLABELLED Language plays a critical role in the development of theory of mind (ToM). There is limited research, however, examining the role of specific components of language in ToM development for typical and clinical populations. The purpose of the current study is to examine the relative contributions of general grammar, grammatical tense markers, syntactic complementation, and receptive vocabulary on understanding standard ToM tasks in preschool children with specific language impairment (SLI). Thirty-four children with language disorders, ages 42-65 months, were administered a series of language and ToM measures. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to examine the relative contributions of language subcomponents to ToM task performance. The results indicated that general grammatical development and vocabulary contributed uniquely to ToM reasoning. Sentential complementation abilities did not make an independent contribution. Theoretical and clinical implications of the findings for different accounts of the role of language in ToM reasoning will be discussed. LEARNING OUTCOMES Readers of the current study will be able to: (1) understand the relationship between language and ToM development in both typical and clinical populations; (2) understand the different ways in which various language components are related to false belief reasoning; and (3) consider the implications for intervening with children with language disorders.

The effect of high-tech AAC system position on the joint attention of infants without disabilities.

Joint attention is critical for language development in children. Children with complex communication needs have additional challenges in managing their joint attention, and there is minimal information on how to reduce these demands. Sixteen infants without disabilities and their caregivers participated in a within-subjects design with two storybook reading interactions. In reading, the researcher either held a high-tech AAC system directly in front of herself (aligned with eye-gaze) or to the side (divided from eye-gaze). The frequency and duration of coordinated and passive joint attention episodes were analyzed. The aligned condition resulted in significantly greater frequency and duration of coordinated joint attention than passive joint attention in episodes involving the AAC system. Age was significantly related to frequency and duration of joint attention only in the aligned condition. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Three is not always a crowd: contexts of joint attention and language

This study examined 32 childrens (M age = 1;8 years) engagement in joint attention (JA) and the relation between JA and vocabulary size across mother-child (MC) and mother-child-sibling (MCS) contexts. In the MCS context, mothers engaged in JA more with one child than both children; they engaged in less JA with target child than they did in the MC context. JA style was generally unrelated across the contexts. Coordinated JA and childrens vocabulary were significantly related only for the MCS context. Findings suggest the number of social partners influences JA dynamics and multi-child contexts can be positive language learning environments.

Talking through transitions: Microgenetic changes in preschoolers’ private speech and executive functioning:

In this study we explored the relation between private speech and task mastery by using the microgenetic method to examine the language and performance of 13 children aged 4 and 5 as they gained expertise with a spatial, multi-step planning task across 6 sessions. Seven of the 13 children’s performances across these sessions were characterized by a sharp change in performance between two consecutive sessions. Detailed microgenetic examinations of individual children suggested that abrupt improvements in performance were associated with a higher use of on-task private speech. More variability was noted in the problem-solving and private speech patterns of children who did not experience abrupt shifts in performance. Implications regarding the role of individual differences in the use of private speech during problem-solving are discussed.

Disappointment for others

Two studies examined when and why people experience disappointment for others. Study 1 demonstrated that participants reported disappointment for anothers outcome only when the outcome had strong personal implications. Study 2 demonstrated that self-image concerns rather than empathy or resource concerns mediated the experience of disappointment for others. Collectively, these findings suggest that people experience disappointment for others when those outcomes implicate the self-image.

“You Get More Than You Give”: Experiences of Community Partners in Facilitating Active Recreation with Individuals who have Complex Communication Needs

Abstract Recreation is an essential part of life that provides enriching experiences that may define one’s life course similar to careers or other interests. An understanding of the role of volunteers in active community-based recreational programs can help to generate ways to enhance participation and contribute to additional communication opportunities with people who have complex communication needs. Nine volunteers from two adaptive ski programs and one therapeutic horseback-riding program in the Northeast region of the United States participated in semi-structured interviews. Audio-recordings were transcribed and analyzed and resulted in five thematic areas: (a) benefits, (b) why individuals volunteer, (c) barriers, (d) successful program supports, and (e) who are the riders and skiers using AAC. The findings provided insight to support the notion that active community-based recreational activities foster an environment for communication, meaningful engagement, and social relationships between volunteers and people with complex communication needs.

Integrating music into small-group book reading activities increases the engagement of students with autism

Abstracted from: Carnahan, S., Basham, J., & Musti-Rao, S. (2009). A low technology strategy for increasing engagement of students with autism and significant learning needs. Exceptionality, 17, 76–87. Source of funding: No funding sources were reported by the authors.

Using Video to Teach Early Language Concepts and Symbols to Children With Complex Communication Needs

Young children who cannot use their natural speech to communicate their daily wants, needs, thoughts, and opinions often rely on augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies that frequently use graphic symbols to assemble messages. Early intervention strategies typically focus on visual scene displays (VSDs) to place target messages in familiar contextualized scenes. However, there are currently no bridging strategies to assist children in moving from VSDs to displays incorporating discrete graphic symbols. The use of contextualized video vignettes is a potential bridge. This preliminary study implemented an intervention using video and play activities paired with a direct instruction approach to teach 10 graphic symbols of important early concepts to children with complex communication needs (CCN). A single-subject multiple baseline across subjects research design was used. Results indicated that the intervention was effective in teaching the target concepts.

Music therapy is beneficial for children with autism spectrum disorders, but more specific clinical guidance is a future need1

Geretsegger, M., Elefant, C., Mössler, K. A., & Gold, C. (2014). Music therapy for people with autism spectrum disorder. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2014, Issue 6. Art. No.: CD004381. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD004381.pub3. Sources of funding and declaration of interests: The authors of this review are clinically trained music therapists. Christian Gold and Karin Mössler’s institute received a grant to support this manuscript from The Research Council of Norway and an additional grant from the Danish Council for Independent Research/Humanities. The commentary authors report no conflicts of interest.