Online ISSN: 2325-7466
2006
Triannual
National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET)
United States

Articles

Teaching Children with SMA 1 to Expressively Communicate Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems: Extending Functional Communication Teaching Using a Model of Verbal Behavior

  • Cheryl Ostryn, PhD, BCBA-D, LBA (Author) Center for Applied Behavior Analysis, The Sage Colleges image/svg+xml
    Dr. Cheryl Ostryn received her doctoral degree in Special Education (focus on Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis) from The Pennsylvania State University and completed her post-doctoral work at The University of Colorado, Denver. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D), a Professor of Applied Behavior Analysis at The Sage Colleges, and a Licensed Behavior Analyst in New York State. Dr. Ostryn has published in several scientific journals, the Young Exceptional Children Monograph series, the Autism Advocate, co-authored a chapter on functional academics, and has presented her research both nationally and internationally. Her main research interests include teaching functional communication to individuals with disabilities using a model of Verbal Behavior, and she has recently extended this grant-funded work into the area of Spinal Muscular Atrophy. She also owns a behavioral therapy company in Colorado.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.474
Abstract
Spinal Muscular Atrophy is a genetic, degenerative disorder, in which individuals become unable to engage in typical motor activities, including speech. The outcome for the most common type of SMA (Type 1), has previously been death before the age of 2, but new medical improvements are showing promising results for life longevity. Research has demonstrated that individuals with SMA 1 have normal cognitive ability, but there is a total lack of research into teaching them to expressively communicate. For other neuromuscular disorders, it is common for individuals to utilize augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) methods, but unfortunately individuals with SMA 1 have not been included in this population. This study is the first of its kind, as it utilizes the use of picture communication systems for successfully teaching young children diagnosed with SMA 1 to mand for items within the same timeframe as their typically developing peers.
Keywords
Augmentative and Alternative Communication, Communication Skills, Expressive Language, Genetic Disorders, Intervention, Neurological Impairments
References

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There are 13 references in total.
How to Cite
Ostryn, C. (2021). Teaching Children with SMA 1 to Expressively Communicate Using Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems: Extending Functional Communication Teaching Using a Model of Verbal Behavior. Journal of the American Academy of Special Education Professionals, 16(3), 163-175. https://doi.org/10.64546/jaasep.474

Fall 2021

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  • Article Type Articles
  • Submitted September 14, 2021
  • Published October 15, 2021
  • Issue Fall 2021
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