Benefits of exposure to sign language for non-verbal adult with ASD: Pre-analysis of filmed interactions
Résumé
Based on work showing the benefits of sign language acquisition for children with ASD and so-called “non-verbal” (e.g., Kurt, 2011; Adam, 2020), we wished to explore the potential contributions of French sign language (LSF) for non-verbal adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for whom augmentative techniques have not -or no longer- given satisfactory results. The research will present focuses on the acquisition of communicative and linguistic skills by a non-verbal ASD adult exposed to LSF over a five-year interspersed period with breaks.
The fine-grained observation of emerging communicative and linguistic skills, which are “weak signals” in non-verbal ASD people, requires the implementation of a methodological protocol. We participated in multi-disciplinary reflections of a working group that met monthly for 6 months. Our work consisted of the analysis of a video recording of this young adult with non-verbal ASD exposed to LSF.
Our objective was to evaluate the extent to which regular exposure to LSF could constitute a contribution for non-verbal adults with ASD. More precisely, we sought to analyze and characterize in depth these possible benefits in terms of the development of communicative and linguistic skills.
We elaborate an annotation scheme focusing on several key points: linguistic aspects, interaction, and didactic aspects. We wanted to determine the nature of the interactions observed between this young adult with ASD and his interlocutors.
Our analyses allow us to identify several important contextual variables, but also aspects of behavior that remain difficult to characterize, that we will present.