Symbolic Communication: Common Pathways and Points of Departure by Diane Twachtman-Cullen Chapter 4.

Symbolic Communication: Common Pathways and Points of Departure

by Diane Twachtman-Cullen

Chapter 4

“More than anything, autism is a defect of communication--an inability to share

feelings, beliefs, and knowledge with other people.”

--Rita Carter in Mapping The Mind

(1999), London: University of California Press, Ltd.

Human Communication

The ability to communicate is the most difficult and remarkable feat of humankind

The ease with which most of us learn and use language blinds us to how complex the language-acquisition process actually is

The Essence of Language

Words are merely symbols that represent concepts

There is a vast difference between just building up a collection of symbols and using these symbols for communicative intent

Language Difficulties in Autism

For a child with autism, the ability to say words in no way guarantees that he is able to use them to express his intentions (thoughts, feelings, desires, or needs)

Language Acquisition

Before you can understand the language problems inherent in autism, you must understand typical language development

The same basic principles of language acquisition apply to both neurotypical children and to children with autism spectrum disorders

The Infant Brain

Everything an infant experiences provides her brain with new information

As the different areas of her brain process the incoming information, neural pathways are formed within and between these areas of the brain

“Survival of the Busiest”

Babies are born with excess neurons (brain cells)

As an infant develops, her life experiences “prune” the brain by allowing unused neurons to die

Baby Games

Neurotypical infants readily engage in peek-a-boo, pat-a-cake, and many other simple games with their parentsThese games are important

precursors to the development of social communication

The Role of Baby Games

In a deceptively simple baby game, mother and child are engaged inAttention sharingAffect sharingSocial reciprocity

The Role of Baby Games

The infant is also learning toRegulate interactionAnticipate what will come next

Baby Games & The Brain

EEGs have shown that:While a baby is engaged in these

simple games, there is an increase in electrical activity in the areas of the brain having to do with emotional regulation, interaction, and sequencing

Baby Games and Infants with Autism Infants with autism do not as readily engage

in baby games as their typically developing peers do Not only are they missing out on opportunities

to engage in emotional regulation, affect and attention sharing, anticipation, and social reciprocity …

But the neurons that would normally be used in these activities are not getting activated, and the new neural pathways are not being built

The Infant with Autism

Prefers “sameness” to new activitiesEngages in repetitive and self-

stimulatory behaviors like rocking, twirling, flapping

• These behaviors are unilateral and nonsocial

How might this influence brain development?

Joint Attention

Joint Attention = Consciously focusing your attention on the same event or object as another personNot just looking at the same thing as

someone else, but being aware that you’re sharing the experience

Joint Attention

Critically important to communication and language development in typically developing children

Early joint attention behaviors:Gaze followingProto-declarative pointing (i.e.,

pointing to share interest)Showing/offering gestures

Joint Attention

Early joint attention behaviors indicate the child’s growing awareness of the need to engage other people

Sets stage for Relatedness and emotional sharingIntersubjectivity (shared

understanding)Intention reading

Joint Attention Deficits in Autism

Joint attention deficits are a stable characteristic of children with autism (i.e., they occur at all levels of the spectrum)

Joint Attention Deficits in Autism

A joint attention deficit is one of the earliest indicators of theory-of-mind difficulty Joint attention and the ability to read

others’ mental states are activities that occur in the same area of the brain

Correlates of Joint Attention

In typically developing children, there’s a high correlation between vocabulary size and time spent in joint attention activities with the mother

In children with autism, there are correlations between early joint attention skills and: Language gains in early intervention Language development during adolescence

Social-Pragmatic Theory of Language Development

Young children are not just trying to map word to world

They’re attempting to make sense of situations via social referencing (i.e., looking to others, especially

parents, for clues as to how to behave, react, or interpret a situation)

Social-Pragmatic Theory of Language Development Adults “tell” the child how to experience a

situation not just by teaching him a word, but by using a wide range of social-pragmatic cues (direction of gaze, facial expression, body language, voice tone, etc.)

The child then learns to use that same word when he wants someone else to experience a situation in the same way

Developmental Milestones

Support for Social-Pragmatic TheoryMost children don’t begin using words

until about age 1This is roughly the same time that

they develop:• gaze following• social referencing• imitative learning

Cascading Effect in Autism

Infant w/ autism rejects baby games Misses out on experiences that would

build joint attention skills, emotion sharing, relatedness to other people

Fails to develop intersubjectivity (shared understanding with others)

Cascading Effect

Without intersubjectivity, can’t develop intention reading (the ability to “read” the message another person is trying to communicate)

Without intention reading, can’t develop symbolic communication If you can’t understand basic message being

communicated, how can you use abstract symbols (words) to represent those intentions?

Literalness

“Could you pass the salt?”

“Yes.” Literalness is one of the most common

communication difficulties in autism, even in the highest-functioning individuals

Demonstrates difficulty with intentionality Understanding the literal meaning of the

words, but not the speaker’s intent (to obtain the salt)

Pragmatics

Impairments in pragmatics--the social use of language--are the defining language deficit in autismPragmatic difficulties are present at all

ability levels and all ages

Pragmatics & Theory of Mind

3 aspects of pragmatics are related to theory of mindFunctionPresuppositional knowledgeConversational maxims

Pragmatic Function

The specific intention of the message that’s being communicated

For example, “Mommy!” can mean: “Here comes Mommy! “Mommy, help me!” “Mommy, look at me!”

Context is vital to interpreting the function of the speaker’s words

Presuppositional Knowledge

The judgment that a speaker must make about the listener’s needs with regard to: Information content

• What does he already know?• How much does he need to know?

Communicative style• What is his status in relation to me?• How formal is the situation?

Makes back-and forth conversation particularly difficult, because presuppositions must change as you add new information

Conversational Maxims

The unwritten rules of conversationQuantityQualityRelevanceClarity

Only apply to children with verbal abilities

Rule of Quantity

Communicate the appropriate amount of information necessary to transmit your meaningA child with severe autism would likely

violate the rule by not saying enoughA child with Asperger Syndrome might

violate the rule by talking nonstop about her special interest, even as the listener tries to back away

Rule of Quality

What you say must be true Two ways of breaking the rule

LyingConfabulation (saying something untrue,

even if you believe it to be true)• Example: A child with Asperger Syndrome is

so obsessed with Sesame Street that he starts insisting that his name is Elmo

Rule of Relevance

What you say must be relevant to the conversation at hand

Violations includeOff-topic and tangential remarks Abrupt changes in topic

• Example: A child with Asperger Syndrome constantly steers the conversation back to his special interest

Rule of Clarity

You must convey information in a manner that is clear and understandable to the listener

Violations include: Failing to ground the listener in the subject

matter at hand Using metaphoric or idiosyncratic language

• Example: 14-year-old boy says “I would buy the entire school. I would grow older than my teacher.” What he actually means is “I would like to have more control over my life.”

The Frustration of Pragmatic Language Impairment When pragmatic impairments prevent a

child from being able to communicate his needs and desires in conventional ways, he’ll find unconventional ways to express them (i.e., maladaptive behaviors) It’s up to the adult to figure out the

pragmatic function of that maladaptive behavior

Word-Learning Differences

Children learn verbs and nouns differently, because of their different nature

These rules need to be kept in mind during language intervention

Learning Nouns

Nouns are static. The “dog” is always a “dog.”

It’s easiest for the child to learn a noun while he’s experiencing the object it representse.g., say “doggie” when he sees the

dog or touches the dog

Learning Verbs

Verbs are transient. They represent things that aren’t constantly occurring.

Research has shown it’s easiest for the child to learn a verb when it’s used immediately before the event, rather than simultaneous to the event Say “Spin,” then spin the wheel. Say “Stop!”

and then immediately stop the wheel. Not: “Spinning!” while it’s going, then

“Stopped” after it’s stopped.

Assessment Considerations

There often aren’t standardized tests for the skills you want to assess.

Assessment of pragmatics requires dynamic approaches that take into account context and situation

“Snapshots in time” have limited predictive value for future language performance or learning potential

When Assessing Language … Use standardized tests when available and

appropriate, but supplement them with informal assessment procedures

Assess across multiple, naturalistic contexts Use observations to assess conversational

maxims and presuppositional knowledge

When Assessing Language …

Don’t rely on norm-referenced tests for assessing vocabulary developmentGet input from parents and caregivers

Assess comprehension on 2 levels:literal leveldiscourse level (including intention

reading and the integration of knowledge within the social context)

Situated Pragmatics

A situated pragmatics approach to assessment takes into account:Context Possible barriers to communicationThe contributions (positive and

negative) of everyone involved in the communicative interaction

The child’s perspective of the situation

10 Principles of Intervention

1. Intervention must begin where the learner is.This may mean starting with joint

attention, as it’s a necessary precursor to all other language development.


2. Embed language learning activities related to the student’s special interests to promote motivation and foster engagement.


3. Using augmentative communication (e.g., sign language or picture symbols) increases the child’s ability to learn spoken language.• More connections and pathways are

formed in the language area of the brain


4. A great deal of emphasis must be placed on comprehension, as it’s the basis for meaningful expression.

• For students on the lower end of the spectrum, this involves linguistic comprehension

• For students on the higher end, this will focus more on pragmatic comprehension


5. The language the child takes in is more important than the language she puts out, so engagement is critical Don’t force language intervention

activities, as this can lead to anxiety and shutting down.


6. Make sure that vocabulary targets are within the child’s conceptual grasp.• Must understand the true meaning

of the word, not just be able to identify it.


7. Use different techniques to teach different classes of words.


8. Language intervention should be carried out in a context that supports meaning, in order to make it easier to infer intent.


9. Theory-of-mind activities should be woven into the language-learning activities.


10. Appropriate language use is best taught through activities that mimic the natural language-learning process. In other words, interactive routines that:

• provide rich opportunities for inferring communicative intent

• exercise the pragmatic functions of communication

Use Simon Says to teach verbs.

Conclusions

Joint attention and intention reading are the underpinnings of language development for all children.Failing to address these vital social-

cognitive elements results in language intervention that is ineffective and/or inappropriate

Conclusions

In order to provide the best language intervention for children on the autism spectrum, the interventionist needs to keep current on research and apply it.That means both autism research and

research on typical language development

Symbolic Communication: Common Pathways and Points of Departure by Diane Twachtman-Cullen Chapter 4.

Documents

Transcript of Symbolic Communication: Common Pathways and Points of Departure by Diane Twachtman-Cullen Chapter 4.