New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline - Ministry of Health

Part 3: Education for learners with ASD
Outcome measures
When evaluating the success of interventions,
consideration should be given to increases in:
• the initiation of spontaneous communication
The emphasis should move from simply
measuring ‘verbal behaviour’ (eg, the ability
to say words) to considering ‘spontaneous
communication’ (ie, the ability to send a
message to another person). Many children
with ASD have a tendency to become cue
dependent if every effort is not made to
encourage spontaneity.
• greater participation in functional activities
An important goal for developing
communication is an emphasis on skills which
allow the child or young person to interact
with many people and participate in a wide
array of activities in a wide range of places.
• generalisation of communication skills across
environments and partners
Children and young people with ASD may
not generalise new communicative skills with
others unless this is specifically addressed.
This generalisation should be encouraged
across a variety of partners, places and
events.
• conventional communicative means which
are understood by a wider range of partners
The emphasis on ‘communication’
acknowledges that there are many ways of
conveying a message to another person. In
the beginning, many idiosyncratic means
may be used which only those who know the
child well may interpret. A valued outcome
is the use of increasingly conventional
means. The ultimate aim of all intervention is
increasing competence in the natural settings
associated with the child’s life 55 96 189 215 .
Teaching strategies
1. Use of augmentative communication
There is a considerable body of evidence to
support the use of augmentative communication
strategies with children and young people
with ASD 11 96 211 213 218 . These strategies are used
to support existing speech or as part of a
multimodal system of communication which
may include gestures 213 .
Augmentative communication interventions
tend to suit the distinctive strengths and needs
of children with ASD. These can effectively
support both expressive and receptive
communication. The most commonly used are
those with visual symbols, for example, photos,
pictures, objects or written words. They include:
• visual timetables
• schedules to outline the steps of a task
• rules or instructions in visual form
• communication boards or books 213 .
The rationale for their use includes the:
• strong visual processing of many children
with ASD
• predictable and static nature of visual
information
• close and obvious relationship of the picture
to the concept it represents
• role such interventions may play in assisting
children to rely on visual or symbol
recognition to understand rather than relying
simply on memory recall 96 .
Research suggests that aided symbol use (such
as photographs, line drawings, symbols or
written words) may enhance the development of
speech in individuals with ASD. There appears
to be no evidence that the use of augmentative
communication strategies, in conjunction with
language instruction, delays the acquisition
of speech. This research includes those who
are older than five years 96 . Two studies
reported on the use of PECS (Picture Exchange
Communication System) with children in the
Part 3
New Zealand Autism Spectrum Disorder Guideline 99