The Effect of Enhanced Milieu Teaching on Language Deficiency Among Children Who Have Autism Spectrum Disorder or Other Developmental Disabilities. A Meta-analysis and systematic review
Keywords:
Developmental disabilities, Enhanced Milieu Teaching., Meta-analysis., Systematic Review, Autism spectrum disorderAbstract
A substantial body of research has reported that children who have disabilities such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), Down syndrome, Developmental disabilities, and those from low socio-economic status may have specific deficits in using or developing spoken language skills. Diverse approaches that include Enhanced Milieu Teaching (EMT) have been utilized to interact with children to improve their communication abilities.
We conducted a meta-analysis and systematic review to assess the effectiveness of EMT procedures on language learning skills among toddlers and children who have language and communication impairments co-occurring with ASD and other developmental disabilities. Overall, 67 parent-child dyad participants were enrolled in the included studies that were limited to published articles that used single subject designs and reported AB design graphs. We calculated overall and specific Effect Sizes (ES) to determine the impact of EMT on the language improvement and communication skills of child participants. We then compared the effects of EMT among variables that included specific decades of research article publications, ASD, and other developmental disabilities. Finally, a forest plot of Nonoverlap of all pairs (NAP) effect sizes was provided for visual interpretation.
The findings suggested strong overall and specific ES. Regarding the effectiveness of EMT, no statistically significant differences were found between child participants who have ASD and those who have other developmental disabilities. EMT was equally effective for studies published before and after 2010.
EMT can be an effective technological package to incorporate in parent training for direct interactions with their child to develop their language and communication skills. We furthermore analyzed maintenance, generalization, and social validity of the included studies.
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