Conversations with Barney: A Conversation Analysis of Interactions with a Child with Autism

Abstract

This study arose from an intervention programme aimed to develop the communication and social interaction skills of Barney, a six-year-old child diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (Autistic Spectrum). The approach we take is a social constructionist one that challenges the assumption of a Western psychiatric approach emphasising the impairment and deficits associated with autism. Conversation analysis is employed as a method of elucidating the collaborative mechanisms employed by Barney and his co-participants in making sense of one another. The aim of this study was to closely examine the communicative behaviour and interactive styles of Barney and his co-participants, their implications for communicative success ( co-ordinated interaction) or breakdown ( discordant interaction), and the implications for ways in which the child is positioned within the discourse in relation to his co-participants. Our constructions of the data suggested the following: A playful, activity-based interactive style constituted by non-verbal turns, affection, and short, simple utterances enhanced co-ordinated interaction. Discordant interaction seemed to result from a tendency of the co-participants to dominate the interaction (e.g., frequent and repetitive questioning) which directed and constrained interaction and resulted in the child's withdrawal. Other implications are highlighted. This research informs intervention efforts and encourages co-participants to reflect on ways in which interaction is co-constructed between themselves and the child with autism.