EFFECTS OF SOCIAL VERSUS MUSICAL ANTECEDENTS ON COMMUNICATION RESPONSIVENESS IN 5 CHILDREN WITH DEVELOPMENTAL-DISABILITIES

The present study involved a comparison of social versus musical antec edents on communication responsiveness in five children with developme ntal disabilities. During the social antecedent condition, the teacher presented opportunities for the children to greet, name objects, and request materials. In the musical antecedent condition, these same opp ortunities were embedded within a music/singing activity. A reversal d esign was used to compare the percentage of opportunities with appropr iate communication responses across the two conditions. For three of t he five children, the musical antecedent condition was associated with higher percentages of appropriate communication responses. For the ot her two children, the two conditions were associated with approximatel y equal rates of appropriate communication. Across both conditions, ap propriate responses were more likely during opportunities for greeting and requesting than during opportunities to name objects. The results suggest that embedding communication opportunities within a musical a ctivity may lead to increased appropriate communication responses for some children with developmental disabilities.