Background: Despite increasing knowledge of social communication skills of autistic people, the interrelatedness of different skills such as non-linguistic comprehension, social inference and empathizing skills is not much known about. A better understanding of the complex interplay between different domains of social communication helps us to…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience social communication difficulties which can be compounded by increased social demands and expectations of the school environment. Play offers a unique context for social communication development in educational settings. This systematic review aimed to synthesize play-based interventions for…

Background/purpose: This study investigates the efficacy of iPad-based interventions in improving communication skills among students with autism, focusing on two participants with minimal functional speech. Materials/methods: A multiple baseline design was employed, consisting of two phases--a baseline phase (A), where the participants had access…

This study examined an intervention package incorporating an iPad-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) application, Proloquo2Go, to improve wh-question-answering skills in a 15-year-old adolescent with autism. A single-case, multiple baseline design across three types of wh-questions ("what," "where," and…

Dialogic reading (DR) is an evidence-based interactive shared reading intervention. This systematic review investigated the effect of DR interventions on the communicative initiations and responses of children with autism, an area of great difficulty for most individuals with autism. More precisely, the paper aimed to (a) describe the…

Functional communication training (FCT) provides an efficient means for reducing a variety of challenging behaviors while increasing social communication. After establishing a functional communication response (FCR), interventionists may need to design a program to thin the schedule of reinforcement to provide more durable effects and maintenance…

Approximately 30% of individuals with autism have complex communication needs (CCN). These individuals are unable to use vocal speech as their primary form of language and typically require support across several areas of communication such as comprehension, pragmatics, phonology, semantics, and syntax (Ganz et al., 2022; Reichle, 2019).…

This dissertation examines the integration of behavior analytical procedures into teaching performing arts dance skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), mainly the innovative use of song-lyrics self-instruction. Individuals with ASD often face unique challenges, including social communication delays, limited play interests, and…

Communication deficits are one of the main characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Self-injurious behavior (SIB) in individuals with ASDs often occurs due to the individuals' lack of social-communicative abilities to express what they want (e.g., attention; access to tangible items; help). Many researchers have successfully used…

This study evaluated whether a play-based, teacher-facilitated peer network intervention could improve basic social communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study was conducted in a regular classroom, using the principles of peer mediation and an integrated playgroup model. A single-subject multiple baseline design…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) require long-term interventions with professional tutors. In this paper, we explore the design space of virtual tutors in digital learning systems that may facilitate effective ASD interventions. We conducted a classroom observational study to examine how children with ASD learn and interact with…

This exploratory literature review investigates the landscape of educational mobile applications designed for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in Arab countries, with a specific focus on their efficacy in improving communication skills. After a comprehensive search of academic databases and digital libraries, nine studies were…

Participation in daily activities is often linked to functional independence and well-being, yet individual variability in participation and factors associated with that variation have rarely been examined among autistic youth. We applied latent profile analysis to identify subgroups of youth based on parent-reported activity participation…

Many autistic children receive special education services via Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) that include specific educational goals and needs. Prior research has examined programming options available to support autistic students, but less is known about their educational needs across academic and developmental educational goals.…

This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a speech-generating device (SGD) application on manding skills in Chinese children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Given the communication challenges faced by many individuals with ASD, alternative methods for expressing needs are crucial. The SGD utilized speech synthesis technology to provide…