A Sibling-Mediated Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Using the Natural Language Paradigm (NLP).
Training siblings to run NLP at home doubled speech output for most children with autism and the gains spread to school.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bitsika et al. (2018) taught brothers and sisters to run the Natural Language Paradigm at home. The kids with autism played with their siblings while the siblings used NLP tricks like modeling words and giving small rewards for talking.
The team watched three children with autism. They tracked how many new words each child said before and after the siblings took over the teaching.
What they found
Two of the three children hit the speech goal. They started saying new words during play with their brother or sister.
The new words also showed up at school and with other kids, not just at home with the trained sibling.
How this fits with other research
Lane et al. (2020) tried a similar naturalistic plan in a classroom. Their results were mixed: only two of three pupils kept strong gains. Vicki’s home-based, sibling-run plan looks cleaner, likely because one caring sibling gives steadier practice than a busy teacher juggling twenty kids.
Spriggs et al. (2016) ran naturalistic teaching in preschool with teachers. Both studies boosted expressive language, but Vicki shifts the job from paid staff to siblings, cutting cost and raising practice hours.
Adkins et al. (1997) trained classmates in PRT and also saw social gains. Vicki repeats that peer-mediation idea inside the family, showing siblings can deliver NLP just like classmates can deliver PRT.
Why it matters
You can turn brothers and sisters into mini-therapists in minutes a day. Teach them to model words, wait for an answer, and hand over a favorite toy as a reward. The child with autism gets far more speech trials, and you free up clinician time for other goals. Start by coaching one sibling during a regular play routine; track new words for two weeks.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We taught three typically developing siblings to occasion speech by implementing the Natural Language Paradigm (NLP) with their brothers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A non-concurrent multiple baseline design across children with ASD and sibling dyads was used. Ancillary behaviors of happiness, play, and joint attention for the children with ASD were recorded. Generalization of speech for the children with ASD across setting and peers was also measured. During baseline, the children with ASD displayed few target speech behaviors and the siblings inconsistently occasioned speech from their brothers. After sibling training, however, they successfully delivered NLP, and in turn, for two of the brothers with ASD, speech reached criterion. Implications of this research suggest the inclusion of siblings in interventions.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2018 · doi:10.1007/s10803-017-3404-x