A comparison of discrete trial teaching with and without gestures/signs in teaching following instructions to children with autism

The main purpose of the present study is to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of discrete trial teaching (DTT) with and without gestures/signs in teaching following instructions to children with ASD. The other aim of the study is to examine the effects of withdrawing gestures/signs after the training is terminated with them. Also the social validity of the study was determined based on the opinions of the parents of the children participating in this study. One of the single subject research designs; parallel treatments design was used to compare the differential effects of the two procedures on the acquisition of the following instructions. The participants of the study were two boys and one girl. Their ages were between 4 and 6 when the study began. Findings show that the gestural and non-gestural presentation of the instructions during DTT were almost equally effective in teaching following instruction skills to two participants. Providing gestures/signs along with verbal instructions during DTT was more effective for the third participant. Also findings demonstrate that participants generalized and maintained the skills they acquired after the training. In the study, it was observed that DTT procedure provided by visual support based on gestures and signs was more efficient for all participants and for all efficiency parameters. It was also observed that all participants continued to follow directions correctly after withdrawal of the gestures/signs used in training sessions The social validity findings of the study showed that the subjects' mothers expressed positive opinions about the research. Key Words: Autism, Language and Communication, Receptive Language Skills, Following Instructions, Discrete Trial Teaching.