The Effects of Singing vs. Speech on Joint Engagement in a Young Child with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome

Abstract

Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMS) is a rare genetic disorder typically caused by loss or disruption of the distal long arm of chromosome 22. Children with PMS exhibit severe to profound communication deficits, and the majority meet the criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). To date, no language or communication intervention studies focused on children with PMS exist in the literature despite a steady increase in diagnosed cases. Anecdotally, it has been reported that music facilitates learning and engagement in children with PMS. The purpose of this clinical case study is to investigate the effects of singing vs. speaking on joint engagement, a critical prerequisite for later language development, in a young child with PMS. Given previous research on children with ASD, we predicted that the participant’s joint engagement would improve in response to treatment. We also hypothesized that her joint engagement scores would be higher in the singing condition. A simultaneous-treatments approach was utilized to compare the effects of singing and speech on joint engagement during 16 sessions over a 10-week period. Videotapes of teaching trials were analyzed to measure the participant’s visual attention and general behavior. Results indicated that the participant’s joint engagement increased over time in both the singing and speaking treatment conditions. The singing condition appeared to have a slight advantage in eliciting visual attention, but over time both singing and speaking promoted increases in joint engagement. Limitations of the current study, recommendations for clinical practice, and implications for future research are discussed.