Visual Functional Communication Training in a Multilingual Home Context: Enhancing Communicative Agency in Autism with Vestibular Hypersensitivity

Authors

  • Dr. Hina Fazil Associate Professor in Special Education, Institute of Special Education, University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan Author
  • Dr. Hina Hadayat Ali Assistant Professor in Special Education/Coordinator, Department of Special Education, University of Education, Lahore, Faisalabad Campus, Pakistan Author
  • Dr. Sidra Anser Lecturer, Special Education, University of Okara Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63056/academia.5.3.2026.2239

Keywords:

Vestibular hypersensitivity, autism spectrum disorder, functional communication training, self-injury behavior, self-stimulation behavior

Abstract

This single-case ABAB study examined visual-based Functional Communication Training (FCT) as a multimodal approach to supporting communicative agency in a multilingual child with autism and vestibular hypersensitivity. Baseline data showed high rates of self-injurious behavior (M = 85.71%) and self-stimulatory behavior (M = 87.86%) across seven vestibular antecedents. During intervention phases, visual communication cards (“stop”/ “break”) were taught as accessible linguistic alternatives, reducing SIB to 49.29% and SSB to 53.57%. Independent communicative exchanges increased from 48% to 67%. Findings position visual communication as an equity-oriented tool enhancing participation, identity expression, and inclusive language access for neurodiverse learners in multilingual contexts.

Downloads

Published

2026-03-27

Issue

Vol. 5 No. 3 (2026): ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Hina Fazil, Dr. Hina Hadayat Ali, Dr. Sidra Anser (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

How to Cite

Dr. Hina Fazil, Dr. Hina Hadayat Ali, & Dr. Sidra Anser. (2026). Visual Functional Communication Training in a Multilingual Home Context: Enhancing Communicative Agency in Autism with Vestibular Hypersensitivity. ACADEMIA International Journal for Social Sciences, 5(3), 693-709. https://doi.org/10.63056/academia.5.3.2026.2239