Enhanced milieu teaching for children with autism spectrum disorder in South Africa

Purpose: Efficient and effective interventions are required to meet the communication needs of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). However, most children with ASD living in South Africa do not receive individualised interventions. Method: This multiple baseline study examined the effects of therapist-implemented enhanced milieu teaching (EMT) on the diversity and frequency of spoken language of three children with ASD in South Africa. Result: A moderate functional relation was demonstrated between the introduction of EMT and increases in (1) the number of different words and (2) the number of spontaneous utterances used by each participant. Some evidence of generalisation to novel partners and contexts was observed. Conclusion: Results indicated that EMT may be effective for improving communication in South African children with ASD. Implications for clinical practice and cultural and linguistic adaptations are discussed.