The objective of this project is to develop a curriculum and prototype software for a research-based vocabulary development program featuring a combined lexical-cognitive approach to noun acquisition. The target population for the curriculum will be children ages 3;0 to 12;0 with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) as well as a broad range of other children with language disorders. The curriculum will use a core noun vocabulary in four sets of training activities to address four interrelated goals: (a) to train a core noun vocabulary using both fast and slow mapping strategies; (b) to enrich the semantic features of lexical entries by associating functional and/or descriptive information with each noun; (c) to enhance lexical organization by using the core vocabulary in a series of categorization activities involving superordinate classification, inclusion, and exclusion; and (d) to expand paradigmatic schemas with training that associates basic level nouns with paradigmatically associated concepts. In Phase I, a subset of the curriculum will be developed and used in field-testing with subjects in the target populations. Data collected will be used to guide Phase II development and field-testing of the full curriculum for efficacy with the target populations specified.
Public Health Relevance: Impaired language is recognized as one of the hallmarks of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Despite extensive incidental exposure to language, many children with ASD have a markedly limited vocabulary and are clearly in need of formal remediation. The goal of this project is to develop a curriculum and prototype software for a research-based vocabulary development program featuring a combined lexical-cognitive approach to noun acquisition. The curriculum will focus on helping children to develop the learning processes necessary for efficient lexical acquisition and organization, and on laying the groundwork for a rich and semantically well organized conceptual framework. This will provide a cost effective means to promote early language and cognitive development in children with ASD as well as a broad range of other children with language disorders.
Thesaurus Terms: 0-11 Years Old; Address; Age; Autism; Autism, Early Infantile; Autism, Infantile; Autistic Disorder; Child; Child Youth; Children (0-21); Classification; Cognitive; Computer Programs; Computer Software; Computers; Consult; Curriculum; Data; Deaf; Development; Educational Curriculum; Effectiveness; Elements; Exclusion; Exposure To; Feedback; Goals; Hard Of Hearing Persons; Hearing Impaired Persons; Human, Child; Kanner's Syndrome; Language; Language Development; Language Disorders; Language Disability; Learning; Maps; Oral; Persons With Hearing Impairments; Phase; Population; Process; Program Development; Publications; Research; Scientific Publication; Semantic; Semantics; Series; Software; Specific Qualifier Value; Specified; System; System, Loinc Axis 4; Systematics; Target Populations; Testing; Training; Training Activity; Vocabulary; Vocabulary Words; Acquiring Language Skills; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Base; Children; Computer Program/Software; Cost Effective; Language Acquisition; Language Deficit; Language Learning; Lexical; Prototype; Public Health Relevance; Remediation; Specific Language Impairment; Theories; Youngster