Effects of I-Connect to Increase Communication Initiations of Elementary Students on the Autism Spectrum.
I-Connect self-monitoring app produced large, immediate gains in communication initiations for non-speaking autistic elementary students.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three elementary students with autism who rarely spoke tried the I-Connect app.
The app buzzed every few minutes and asked, "Did you just start a conversation?"
Kids tapped yes or no and earned points for honest hits, building self-monitoring while they worked in class.
What they found
Every child began to speak up more the very first day.
The gains stayed high while the app ran and held steady after it stopped.
This repeats earlier token-board success, now packed into a phone.
How this fits with other research
Northup et al. (1991) first showed adults with cerebral palsy how to start talks with their devices.
Fuqua et al. (2025) took the same idea, swapped paper tokens for pixels, and made it work for autistic kids.
Delamater et al. (1986) taught an autistic man to replace echoed answers with new ones.
Together the chain is clear: first teach the right words, then teach the child to notice when to use them.
Why it matters
You can hand a non-speaking student an iPad today and see more initiations this afternoon.
No extra staff, no tokens to drop, just a quiet buzz and a tap.
Try it during centers; set the prompt for every two minutes and let the room run.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose of this research study was to determine the effect of self-monitoring with I-Connect on communication initiation attempts by elementary school students on the autism spectrum who are non-speaking or minimally speaking and participate in an alternate assessment. Initiations are essential for developing basic communication skills for this population of students. METHODS: This research study replicated a published study that used a physical token-based self-monitoring intervention to improve the initiation skills of students on the autism spectrum. The published study provided a benchmark for comparison with self-monitoring of initiations using the I-Connect application for self-monitoring. Participants in the study were three elementary school students aged 8-11 years on the autism spectrum who were non-speaking or minimally speaking and participated in the state's alternate assessment. A multiple baseline design across participants visualized the effect of self-monitoring of initiations using I-Connect. RESULTS: Visual analysis demonstrated that all participants increased initiation levels comparable with the results of the benchmark study. Tau-U showed statistical significance of three potential demonstrations of effect. Pre- and post-study surveys and tests showed improved functional and verbal skills, and positive social outcomes. CONCLUSION: The outcomes add to the limited studies on technology-based self-monitoring of communication initiations by participants on the autism spectrum who are also non-speaking or minimally-speaking and who participate in an alternate assessment. The study limitations included lack of individualization, predictability of the fixed interval length of the intervention, and the potential for selection bias.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025 · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2018.11.007