ArticleJournal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR2024
Does Gestural Communication Influence Later Spoken Language Ability in Minimally Verbal Autistic Children?
Article in Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHR, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The trial behind it
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Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Interventions to Promote Communication in Minimally Verbal Autistic Children: A Systematic Review.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Pooled it
- The use of multisensory environments in children and adults with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.Autism : the international journal of research and practice · 2025Pooled it
- Beyond Words: Natural Language Sampling of Lexical and Non-Word Vocalizations in Preschool Children with Autism, Down Syndrome, and Fragile X Syndrome.medRxiv : the preprint server for health sciences · 2026Article
- Analyzing the genetic profile of autistic children and adolescents with minimal verbal abilities.Frontiers in genetics · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
purposeThe current study examined the predictive role of gestures and gesture-speech combinations on later spoken language outcomes in minimally verbal (MV) autistic children enrolled in a blended naturalistic developmental/behavioral intervention (Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement, and Regulation [JASPER] + Enhanced Milieu Teaching [EMT]).
methodParticipants were 50 MV autistic children (40 boys), ages 54-105 months (
resultsControlling for nonverbal IQ and autism symptom severity at entry, rate of gesture-speech combinations (but not gestures alone) at entry was a significant predictor of rate of speech utterances and MLUw at exit. The rate of supplementary gesture-speech combinations, in particular, significantly predicted rate of speech utterances and NDW at exit.
conclusionThese findings highlight the critical importance of gestural communication, particularly gesture-speech (supplementary) combinations in supporting spoken language development in MV autistic children.
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Registered trials
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