Language input strategies are common among language interventions for young children with autism. However, recommendations for how adults should modify or structure their language to support language learning are controversial. Little is known about parent perspectives on simplified language input strategies, even though parents are often coached to implement these strategies at home. Understanding parent perspectives can inform how clinicians introduce a language input intervention strategy to a parent, identify or adjust familycentered goals, and increase parent buy-in. In the current study, parents of children with autism participated in a semi-structured interview to gather their perspectives regarding what forms of speech feel most natural/unnatural, what they believe to be the best way to talk to their child to support their language development, and what their reactions are to language input recommendations. Three types of language input were highlighted throughout the interview: grammatically complete language input, telegraphic (i.e., ungrammatical) language input, and one-up language input (i.e., using utterances that are 1-2 words longer than the child's spoken language level). Qualitative analysis of the interviews revealed four major themes, each with associated subthemes. Results indicate that parents hold a wide range of perspectives on simplified language input, but that grammatically complete language input is more likely to feel natural and more beneficial for their child's language development compared to ungrammatical language input. Parents also reported that they modify their own language in different ways for different reasons, although the universal goal was to do what is best for their child. These findings emphasize the importance of understanding caregiver perspectives when instructing parents on how they should talk to their child.
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