Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

1-1-2016

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Christine Reeve

Keywords

AAC; aided language; autism; intervention; modeling

Abstract

The Effects of an Aided Modeling Intervention on Adolescents With Autism Who Use AAC. Joseph A. Novak, 2016: Applied Dissertation, Nova Southeastern University, Abraham S. Fischler College of Education. Keywords: autism, AAC, aided language, intervention, modeling Individuals with autism often fail to develop effective vocal speech and, as a result, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) strategies are recommended as a compensatory technique. One particular AAC intervention technique is aided modeling, an approach in which a communication partner gestures to or selects symbols representing various language concepts on a picture-based communication system as the communication partner is simultaneously speaking. Although numerous studies have lent support to aided modeling techniques being used with individuals with complex communication needs, few studies had assessed its effects with individuals with autism. Further assessment of the effects of aided modeling procedures for individuals with autism who use AAC was deemed appropriate to broaden the evidence base and increase confidence as to whether or not aided modeling is an efficacious intervention technique for individuals with autism. A multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the aided modeling intervention on social game-playing language. The experimental conditions consisted of: baseline, intervention, generalization, and maintenance. The results of the aided modeling intervention were such that it was minimally effective although some generalization to a novel game was observed. Implications from these results are that professionals in the field of autism whose students use AAC should carefully consider their students’ strengths and areas of difficulty before using AMI as an intervention technique. Limitations and directions for future research are mentioned.

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