| Autism is a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Children with autism typically exhibit difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interactions, and leisure or play activities. Because of the lack of communication skills, teachers, caregivers and parents of children with autism often have a difficult time deciphering which form of communication will enable their children to develop language acquisition. The two forms that are often chosen in teaching young children with autism are Sign Language (SL) and the picture exchange communication system (PECS). This study examined the skills acquisition and rate of learning mands and tacts using sign language and the picture exchange communication system. Six children with autism between the ages of 3 and 5 participated in this study. All participants were evaluated to see their level of functioning, and were then randomly assigned to one of two groups. Children in the first group were taught SL, whereas children in the second learned PECS. Results found that the participants who were exposed to PECS learned language acquisition at a faster pace than those exposed to SL. The conclusion is that both methods can be effectively used for teaching language acquisition; however, this depends on the child's functioning level, fine and gross motor skills and most importantly, the child's ability to generalize skills taught. |
