Initiating Expressive Communication: An Analysis of the Listener Preparatory Behaviors of Preschoolers with Developmental Disabilities in Center-Based Programs

This descriptive study examined the listener preparatory behaviors (LPBs) of selecting a listener, establishing listener proximity, and obtaining listener attention of 16 preschoolers with moderate to severe developmental disabilities within the daily classroom routine. Using an observational coding system, the study identified the patterns of listener preparatory behaviors that were associated with opportunities for the target children's expressive communication. Eighteen distinct listener preparatory behavior patterns were observed, 16 of which described the LPB patterns that children used when initiating expressive communication. These patterns revealed that opportunities for children to display all three listener preparatory behaviors in classrooms were minimal, because almost all expressive communication took place with proximate partners. The results also demonstrated that using specific attention-getters were not significantly more successful than just stating the message. However, target children were significantly more likely to obtain the attention of their communication partners if they first selected them than if they did not.