Building Family Capacity: supporting multiple family members to implement aided Language modeling

Douglas et al. (2022) taught Aided Language Modeling to every adult in the house. Mom, dad, grandma, and older brother all learned to point and speak while touching the child’s speech-generating device.

The team used a multiple-baseline design across three families. Each family had one autistic child who used AAC but rarely. Coaching happened at home during dinner, play, and bedtime.

Training lasted one month. Researchers scored how often adults modeled symbols and how often the child then used the device.

When every caregiver joined the training, adult modeling doubled and child AAC use rose by 40 percent. Gains stayed high two months later.

Parents said the plan felt “natural” and “do-able.” The child asked for snacks, toys, and tickles more often than before.

Older studies trained only one adult. Skrtic et al. (1982) taught staff to sign with youth in an institution. Kids learned signs, but used them only during drills. Douglas shows that training the whole family keeps AAC alive all day.

Shih et al. (2024) found caregiver skill before coaching predicts better results. Douglas adds that giving the skill to every adult in the home lifts the child even if one parent starts out weak.

Cruz-Montecinos et al. (2024) stacked several parent strategies for kids with FASD. Douglas echoes the idea: more trained people equals stronger, longer-lasting change.

You no longer need to pick “the best” parent for AAC coaching. Invite siblings, grandparents, and babysitters to the same session. Everyone leaves with one shared plan. Expect faster child progress and fewer booster visits.