Milieu Teaching Effectiveness in Young Children With Intellectual Disabilities

Saturday, 7:00am to 8:00am
Windgate Hall
SP49
This study presents the results of a systematic review of the literature examining the effectiveness of milieu language intervention for children with intellectual disabilities. A comprehensive electronic search of the literature published between 1982-2013 was conducted to identify relevant studies published in peer-reviewed journals. All studies meeting the inclusion/exclusion criteria were appraised for quality and categorized. There were a total of 237 participants with the diagnosis of intellectual disability between the ages of 12-80 months. Across all seven studies, increases in child initiated requests, comments and other intentional communication acts was observed post-intervention compared to pre-intervention. All of the studies implemented either prelinguistic or enhanced milieu teaching strategies as the prime form of treatment. Children were examined months after the implementation of intervention as well. It is challenging to determine if the increased effects in intentional communication are the result of milieu teaching strategies alone. Generalizability of intentional communication skills needs to be further researched as it is crucial for successful outcomes of children with intellectual disabilities.
Track: 
Pediatric