Rebecca B. McCathren

The Role of Directives in Early Language Intervention

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the appropriate role for directives in language intervention. Three types of directives are defined: follow-in, redirectives, and introductions. Two conceptual models for the role of directives in language development are then presented. The research supports the hypothesis that follow-in directives facilitate language development and can play a useful role in intervention. Redirectives are either negatively or nonsignificantly associated with language development and have a less useful role in language intervention. The role of introductions is less clear, and more research needs to be done. Finally, 3 issues, the possible covariation of directiveness and responsiveness, cultural differences in the use of directives, and a useful role for redirectives separate from language development, are discussed.

Important Distinctions in Measuring Maternal Responses to Communication in Prelinguistic Children with Disabilities

Two research hypotheses were tested in the research reported here: The first was that non linguistic maternal responses to intentional child communication, but not to preintentional communication, will predict later intentional communication but not later language development. The second hypothesis was that linguistic mapping of intentional communication, but not of preintentional communication, will predict later language development but not later intentional communication. Study participants were 58 children with disabilities or developmental delays and their primary caretakers. Receptive language, prelinguistic communication, and maternal responses were measured at Time 1 (entry into study) and Time 2 (6 months later). Vocabulary level was measured at Time 2. Expressive and receptive language were measured at Time 3 (12 months after entry into study). After controlling for initial measures of child communication or language, number of maternal nonlinguistic responses to intentional communication were positively related to Time 2 rate of intentional communication and to Time 3 expressive and receptive language scores. After controlling for initial child language, number of linguistic mapping responses to intentional communication was positively related to Time 3 expressive and receptive language scores. The results of this study showed no relationship between responsiveness to preintentional communication and later language or communication, thus emphasizing the importance of responding differentially to preintentional and intentional communications.

Developing Emergent Literacy Skills Through Storybook Reading

This article describes strategies for using storybooks to facilitate emergent literacy. First, we provide critical background information about three areas of emergent literacy: oral language (vocabulary and narrative development), phonological awareness, and print awareness. Then we describe how teachers can facilitate the development of these three areas through purposeful, yet playful and developmentally appropriate, storybook reading activities.

Teacher-Implemented Prelinguistic Communication Intervention

The purpose of this case study was to explore the efficacy of a prelinguistic intervention implemented by a classroom teacher in the ongoing daily activities of one special education preschool classroom. The project used a multiple baseline across behavior design for both child and teacher. The participants were a 3-year-old boy with severe communication and cognitive delays and his special education classroom teacher. The teacher implemented a prelinguistic intervention designed to increase the childs frequency and clarity of communication. The strategies used by the teacher were environmental arrangement, following the childs lead, imitation of vocalizations and gestures, modeling of vocalizations and gestures, and prompting for communication. The results indicated that the teacher was able to implement the intervention and showed increases in all the intervention strategies. The child increased his rate of intentional communication, eye contact, vocalizations with consonants, and conventional gestures. Two unanticipated results occurred. First, the child increased his use of symbolic communication, primarily of signs. He also developed symbolic play skills that were not targeted in the intervention. Although the results should be viewed with caution, they warrant further investigation of the use of prelinguistic intervention with young children with communication delays and disorders.

Prelinguistic Pragmatic Functions as Predictors of Later Expressive Vocabulary

This study tested the relationship between prelinguistic pragmatic functions and later expressive vocabulary of children with mild to moderate developmental delays. Fifty eight toddlers with Bayley Mental Development Indices from 35-85 participated. All children had fewer than 3 words in their expressive vocabularies and showed at least one instance of intentional prelinguistic communication prior to testing. At the beginning of the study, childrens prelinguistic behavior regulation, social interaction, and joint attention were measured. One year later, childrens expressive vocabulary was measured. Results indicated that rate of joint attention and rate of communication were statistically significant predictors of later expressive vocabulary. Rate of behavior regulation was not a predictor. There were too few instances of social interaction to test its predictive validity.

Predicting Responsiveness to Treatment of Children With Autism A Retrospective Study of the Importance of Physical Dysmorphology

This retrospective study examined predictors of outcome for children With autism folloWing 6 and 12 months of early intensive behavioral intervention. Potential predictor variables included pretreatment functioning, age at onset of treatment, treatment intensity, family involvement, and physical characteristics (e.g., brain abnormalities, dysmorphology). For the 19 study participants, presence of dysmorphic features Was the only variable that predicted response to treatment after 6 months (R 2 = .58). Dysmorphology Was associated With Worse outcomes. After 12 months, both dysmorphology and a history of regression predicted poorer response to treatment (R 2 = .67). Children Who made the most progress in treatment had pretreatment language skills and normal physical features. Dysmorphic features in children With autism may represent abnormalities in prenatal development that are associated With poorer child outcomes.

Testing Predictive Validity of the Communication Composite of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales

This study tested the predictive validity of the Communication Composite of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales as a predictor of expressive vocabulary. The Communication Composite consists of six clusters that measure specific aspects of communicative behavior. Participants were 58 children, 17 to 34 months of age, who were functioning at the prelinguistic stage of language development. All children had mild to moderate developmental delays but no sensory impairments. The Communication Composite was used to measure prelinguistic communication skills at the beginning of the study, and an unstructured play session was used to measure expressive vocabulary 1 year later. Results indicated that the Communication Composite was a significant predictor of later expressive language. In addition, all tested clusters were significant predictors of later expressive language.

Representational Ability as a Predictor of Later Expressive Vocabulary

Fifty eight toddlers (17-34 months) with developmental delays participated in a 12 month longitudinal study to test the predictive relationship between prelinguistic representational ability and later expressive vocabulary. Two representational abilities were examined, vocabulary comprehension and level of representational play. The MacArthur Communicative Developmental Inventory/Infants (Fenson et al., 1991) was used to measure vocabulary comprehension and a play scale adapted from McCune (1995) was used to establish level of representational play. Expressive vocabulary was measured one year later in a set of structured interactions with a familiar adult using the Communication Composite of the Communication and Symbolic Behavior Scales (Wetherby & Prizant, 1993). The results indicated that level of representational play was a significant predictor of later expressive vocabulary but vocabulary comprehension was not.

Case Study: Parent-Implemented Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching with a High Risk Dyad.

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first purpose was to determine if a mother with mild developmental disabilities living in poverty was able to implement Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching (PMT) strategies. The strategies included following the child’s lead, arranging the environment to increase opportunities for communication, imitating the child’s play and communication behaviors, modeling play and communication, and using words to map the child’s experience and actions. The second purpose was to see if using these strategies resulted in increased intentional communication in her daughter. Intentional communication is when the young child coordinates the use of eye gaze, vocalizations, and/or gestures to achieve a particular communication outcome. The child is demonstrating intentional communication when she persistently alternates gaze between the adult and the object or event of interest or includes attention to both the adult and object in an interaction. For example, a child might reach toward an out-of-reach toy and look back and forth between the toy and the parent, communicating that she wants her parent to get the toy for her. The results indicated that the mother was able to implement the PMT strategies, and the use of these strategies increased her daughter’s intentional communication.

Meeting the Sensory Needs of Young Children in Classrooms

Malia B. Howe, M.Ed, OTR/L, Lea Ann Brittain, M.Ed, OTR/L, and Rebecca B. McCathren, Ph.D., University of Missouri-Columbia Kyle is an adorable three-year old who is ready to begin preschool. On his very first day, his teacher notices that Kyle does not enjoy the typical play experiences that his classmates do. In fact, Kyle does not want to be near his playmates at all. He hides in a corner at circle time, screams or hits when children touch him, and refuses to play with anything messy, such as modeling dough, shaving cream, and the rice and beans in the sensory table. Kyle refuses to take off his shoes at naptime and only wears long sweat pants, even in warm weather. Kyle also prefers quiet play, such as books