Teaching picture naming to two adolescents with autism spectrum disorders using systematic instruction and speech-generating devices

We evaluated an intervention aimed at teaching two adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to name pictures using speech-generating devices (SGDs). The effects of intervention were evaluated in two studies using multiple-probe across participants designs. Intervention—consisting of time delay, least-to-most prompting, and differential reinforcement—was implemented to teach the participants to select icons from the SGD that corresponded to images they were shown and asked to name. Intervention was associated with an increase in correct picture naming for both students. Students learned to name 12 pictures in response to both open-ended (What do you see?) and closed-ended (What is this?) questions in Study 1 and learned to name another set of 18 pictures in Study 2. These results suggest that use of systematic instructional procedures and SGD technology may enable students with limited speech to participate in, and benefit from, this common educational activity.