Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Semester of Degree Completion

2001

Thesis Director

Lynn Calvert

Thesis Committee Member

Rebecca M. Throneburg

Abstract

This study investigated the effectiveness of gesture to facilitate communication in young children with language delays. Two children with expressive language delays, ages 18 and 22 months, served as participants. The children were exposed to intervention which targeted six vocabulary words verbally and through gesture, in two 45-minute treatment sessions weekly over a six-week period. Parent education and a home component were also included. A single subject multiple baseline across behaviors design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of gesture in intervention. Results indicated that both participants demonstrated an immediate response to gestural treatment, as seen in the production of gestures. Once gesture production was initiated by the participants, a steady increase was observed in the amount of gestures produced over treatment sessions. One of the participants progressed to verbalization of targeted vocabulary during the six-week period of the study. Following the advent of verbalizations of targeted vocabulary, a sharp decline in gesture production was observed. Gesture production reliably occurred prior to verbalization for this participant. Parent data collected during the six-week period of the study supported the results documented during treatment. In addition, parents reported increased attention and participation in communicative events in the home environment.

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