Language Intervention With the Severely Handicapped: A Decade of Research

Abstract

Forty-three language intervention studies published during the 1970s were critically analyzed in order to answer two major questions: (1) To what extent have these studies applied the theoretical models and empirical findings derived from current psycholinguistic research; and (2) To what extent have these intervention studies been successful in increasing the communicative competence of their severely impaired, primarily nonverbal subjects. A broad range of factors was analyzed, including (1) subjects and their characteristics; (2) prerequisite skills of the subjects prior to intervention; (3) the nature of the communication system taught; (4) the context, frequency, and duration of the intervention; (5) the nature of the structural and functional goals; (6) methods of intervention; and (7) gains in communication and other related areas. Findings indicated that except for the nature of the communication system taught and an awareness of the importance of evaluating gains, other than communication, these studies have not paralleled current psycholinguistic thinking. Only 34.8% of the studies were successful in increasing the communicative competence of their severely handicapped subjects. Finally, guidelines for future research and intervention were proposed, based on the characteristics of those 15 studies that were successful.