Measurements of Spontaneous Communication Initiations in Children with Autism in Preschool through Third Grade Classrooms.
Sandy Luong Birkeneder, Nicole Sparapani
PMID 36222991WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism initiated spontaneous communication only 0.69 times per minute in classrooms.
Commenting was the most common function. Lower rates correlated with higher autism features and lower language skills, suggesting a need to assess communication quality, not just quantity.
Key findings
01On average, children initiated spontaneous communication 7.53 times in a 12-minute sample, a rate of 0.69 per minute, with 17% of the sample not initiating at all.
02Commenting was the most frequently observed communicative function, followed by requesting, while initiating social routines and advocating were rarely observed.
03Significant negative correlations were found between autism features (ADOS Social Affect and Total Composite) and communication rate, while positive correlations were found with receptive and expressive language.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The sample size to parameter ratio was small for the factor analysis. The study relied on 12-minute video samples, which may not reflect the entire classroom day. The sample included a large proportion of special education settings, limiting generalizability to general education classrooms. The age range was narrow (preschool to third grade), excluding older elementary children. Data was collected at baseline prior to an intervention, so it reflects pre-intervention communication patterns.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources are explicitly stated in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the low rate of spontaneous communication as a lack of ability to communicate. The study shows that communication was heavily directed at teachers and often limited to specific functions like commenting or requesting. The absence of peer initiations in many children may reflect the classroom context or interaction opportunities rather than a fundamental deficit in social intent.