The use of non-verbal repair strategies by children with autism.
Minimally verbal autistic kids already repair with repeats, swaps, or extra prosody—shape these moments into clearer words instead of waiting for speech to appear.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Keen (2005) watched minimally verbal autistic toddlers and preschoolers at home.
The team wrote down every move the kids made when adults did not understand them.
They counted how often the children repeated, swapped, or jazzed up words with gestures or tone.
What they found
Kids fixed mix-ups mostly by saying the same word again or swapping in a new one.
Sometimes they leaned on big voice swings, hand motions, or even yelled or hit.
Problem behavior tagged along with these repair tries, not instead of them.
How this fits with other research
Chiang (2008) later saw the same age group in classrooms and found that half of them used hitting or yelling to ask or refuse.
The two studies line up: both show that when words fail, mild or tough moves step in.
Connell et al. (2004) took the next step. They gave kids short computer play scenes and cut echolalia while raising useful speech.
Their brief daily practice shows you can turn natural repair tries into clearer words without long drills.
Why it matters
You now know that your youngest, least-talking clients already try to fix breaks.
Honor the attempt first, then shape it.
Model one new clear word right after their repeat or gesture.
Add a quick picture or toy so the repair gets heard and reinforced.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study examined possible links between the occurrence of prosodic changes to vocalizations and gestures and the use of problem behaviors by children with autism when attempting to repair communication breakdowns. The repair strategies of six children with autism aged 2-5 years and with fewer than 10 words or signs were analyzed. Mother-child dyads were videotaped at home interacting in naturally occurring contexts. Videotapes were analyzed and coded for communication breakdowns and repair attempts made by the child. Repairs were further analyzed according to the type of repair strategy used, changes in prosidy, and whether the repair mode involved problematic or non-problematic behavior. In most situations, this group of children attempted to repair breakdowns in communication that occurred while interacting with their mothers. Most children used both non-problematic and problematic behaviors and were less likely to use augmentations as a repair strategy than repetitions and substitutions. Some repetitions and some augmentations involved the use of gestures or vocalizations with increased emphasis or prosidy. Possible links between repair strategies involving increased prosidy and the use of problem behaviors are discussed together with the implications and significance of these finding in relation to early intervention for children with significant communication impairments.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2005 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2004.07.002