Table 2.
Summary of selected studies that tested tools designed to promote communication in autistic children in reverse order of publication.
| Reference | Sample (age in years) | Frequency and duration of intervention | Instrument | Country where the study was carried out |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fteiha, 2017 | 12 ASD (8-12) | One hour, 2x/week for 3 months | Language Master, CompuThera program and PECS | United Arab Emirates |
| Mohan et al. 2017 | 1 ASD (4) | 45 minutes/week for 3 months | Microsoft Word | India |
| Dickinson; Place 2016 | 100 ASD (7-16) | 15 minutes/day, 3x/week for 9 months | Nintendo Wii ™ and the software package ‘‘Mario & Sonic at the Olympics’’ | England |
| Boyd et al. 2015 | 8 ASD (8-11) | Sessions of 15-20 minutes, 3x/week for 4 weeks | iPad (Zody) | USA |
| Thomas-Stonell et al., 2016 | 1 ASD2 oral motor/dyspraxia1 cerebral palsy2 Down’s syndrome1 developmental delay1 premature (1-5) | 15 hours of intervention for 12 months | Sign language, PECS and assistive technology (NI) | Canada |
| Seok et al., 2015 | 1 ASD (8)1 Turner syndrome (16)1 intellectual disabilities (15) | 52 sessions | Tablet (app not reported) and picture cards | Korea |
| Chien et al., 2015 | 11 ASD (5-16) | 4 weeks | Tablet (iCan) | Taiwan |
| Boyd et al. 2014 | 198 ASD (3-5) | 3 years | TEACCH and LEAP | USA |
| Waddington et al., 2014 | 3 ASD (7-10) | 1x/week, 1 hour | iPad¯ (Proloquo2Go ™) | New Zealand |
| D'elia et al., 2014 | 15 ASD15 PDD-NOS (2-6) | 5 hours/week (2 hours at home and 2 hours at school) for 2 years | TEACCH | Italy |
| Schafer et al., 2013 | 7 ASD (9-11)4 ADHD (10-12)11 healthy (paired by age and gender) | 21 daily sessions of 45 minutes each | Personal frequency modulation system | USA |
| Venker et al., 2013 | 34 ASD (3-6) | 1x/year for 3 years | Looking-while-listening | USA |
| Ichikawa et al., 2013 | 11 ASD (5-6) | Weekly 2-hour sessions, total of 20 sessions over six months | TEACCH | Japan |
| Koegel et al., 2012 | 3 ASD (9-12) | 2x/week for 11 weeks | Table games; art projects; trivia games | USA |
| McDuffie et al., 2012* | 32 ASD or PDD-NOS (1.5-5) | 3x/week, 20 minutes per session, lasted for six months | RMPT vs. PECS | USA |
| Goodwin et al., 2012 | 15 ASD 18 healthy (NI age) | 4-month intervals over 3 years | Intermodal preferential looking | USA |
| Olivar-Parra et al., 2011 | 20 ASD (8-23) 20 healthy (matched with respect to mental verbal age) | 9 weeks | Ecological referential communication paradigm | Spain |
| Naigles et al., 2011 | 17 ASD 18 healthy (2-3.5) | 2 visits at an interval of 8 months | Intermodal preferential looking | USA |
| Choi et al., 2010 | 12 ASD 20 healthy (5-6) | 10 sessions | Interactive therapy system | Korea |
| Hirano et al., 2010 | 9 ASD (8-10) | 3 weeks | vSked | USA |
| Panerai et al., 2009 | 34 ASD and severe mental retardation (8-9) | 3 years | TEACCH | Italy |
| Anson et al., 2008 | 5 ASD (4-7) | Not reported | Vibrating pager | USA |
| Tsang et al., 2007 | 34 ASD (3-5) | 12 months | TEACCH | China |
| Schlosser et al., 2007 | 5 ASD (8-10) | NI | VantageTM | USA |
| Howlin et al., 2007 | 84 ASD (6-8) | 5 months | PECS | UK |
| Yoder & Stone, 2006a* | 33 ASD 3 PDD-NOS (1.5-5) | 3x/week, 20 minutes for 6 months | PECS and RPMT | USA |
| Yoder & Stone, 2006b* | 33 ASD 3 PDD-NOS (1.5-5) | 3x/week, 20 minutes for 6 months | PECS and RPMT | USA |
| Howard et al., 2005 | 45 ASD 16 PDD-NOS (age not reported) | 14 months | PECS and TEACCH | USA |
| Schlosser; Blischak, 2004 | 4 ASD (8-12) | NI | LightWRITER-SL35™, PCS, Target Words | USA |
| Panerai et al., 2002 | 16 ASD (>9) | NI | TEACCH | Italy |
| Shabani et al., 2002 | 3 ASD (6-7) | Not reported | Vibrating pager | USA |
| Schlosser et al., 1998 | 1 ASD (10) | 21 sessions in the auditory condition, 26 in the auditory-visual condition and 31 in the visual condition | LightWRITER SL35TM | Canada |
| Taylor & Levin, 1998 | 1 ASD (9) | One to three 10-min sessions per day | Vibrating beeper | USA |
| Panerai et al., 1997 | 18 ASD (7-18) | 1 year | TEACCH | Italy |
Abbreviations: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD); Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH); Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS); Pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS); Responsive Education and Prelinguistic Milieu Teaching (RPMT); Speech-generating device (SGD); Learning Experiences and Alternative Program for Preschoolers and their Parents (LEAP); Picture communication symbols (PCS). Not informed by authors (NI). Application (app). *Authors used the same sample.