Boosting Linguistic and Social Skills in Children with Autism: The Impact of the ‘Echoes & Parent-Partnered Actions’ Therapy Programme

This study explores the efficacy of the ‘Echoes & Parent-Partnered Actions’ therapy programme in enhancing the linguistic and social competence of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). By addressing significant challenges in language acquisition, social communication, and ASD-related behaviours, this research fills a crucial gap in effective, tailored language therapy interventions. The methodology employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test measures to evaluate progress. Six participants with mild to moderate ASD were purposively selected based on specific criteria and engaged as a single experimental group in a ten-week intervention using the ‘Echoes & Parent-Partnered Actions’ programme. The results revealed substantial improvements in language comprehension, expressive abilities and social communication skills, as indicated by the post-test scores. These findings underscore the potential of the ‘Echoes & Parent-Partnered Actions’ programme as a valuable tool in language therapy for children with ASD. The study concludes by recommending the integration of this programme into educational and therapeutic settings and calling for further research to explore its long-term efficacy.