A Preliminary Study of Telepractice Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

  • Mohyeddin Teymouri Sangani Rehabilitation Research Centre, Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Science, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Noureddin Nakhostin Ansari Department of Physiotherapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Reyhane Mohamadi Rehabilitation Research Centre, Department of Speech Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Science, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
  • Zahra Soleymani Department of Speech Therapy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Keywords: Adult, Autism spectrum disorder, Child, Gestures, Imitative behavior

Abstract

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental neurological disorder characterized by impaired social interactions. The aim of study was to examine the telepractice Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching (PMT) for ASD children.

Methods: This study followed a pretest–posttest design. 11 mothers of children with ASD aged 26-71 months (mean=47.09 months, SD=14) were included. Mothers were given the necessary training on the PMT for 12 one-hour weekly sessions, through the WhatsApp software. The self-reported McArthur-Bates communication development inventories (CDIs) was the main outcome measure. The data were analyzed using Wilcoxon test.

Results: Mean scores of expressive and perceptive words significantly improved after treatment with large effects sizes (Cohen’s d >0.8). The activity and gestures section scores showed significant improvements after treatment in the areas of communication gestures, play and routines, working with objects and imitation of adult activities (Cohen’s d >0.8).

Conclusion: This study provides preliminary evidence that the telepractice of PMT is effective for children with autism spectrum disorder. Further study with a rigours design is warranted.

Published
2022-10-23
Section
Articles