Association for Behavior Analysis International

The Association for Behavior Analysis International® (ABAI) is a nonprofit membership organization with the mission to contribute to the well-being of society by developing, enhancing, and supporting the growth and vitality of the science of behavior analysis through research, education, and practice.

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39th Annual Convention; Minneapolis, MN; 2013

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Symposium #202
CE Offered: BACB
Teaching Mands and Intraverbals to Children With Autism
Sunday, May 26, 2013
2:00 PM–3:20 PM
200 J (Convention Center)
Area: VBC/AUT; Domain: Applied Research
Chair: Ada C. Harvey (Florida Institute of Technology)
Discussant: Jacob H. Daar (University of South Florida)
CE Instructor: Ada C. Harvey, Ph.D.
Abstract:

Many children with autism experience difficulties with developing functional language, which leads to problems with socialization, academics, and other critical skills. In this series of studies, the authors focused on teaching two elementary verbal operants--mands and intraverbals. In the first study, the authors taught three parents of children with autism how to teach manding using vocal shaping procedures using a multiple-baseline-across-modules design. All parents performed above specified criterion levels and spontaneous manding in children increased by the end of the study. In the second study, the authors evaluated the effects of a Total Communication (TC) teaching format and a Prompt Delay (PD) procedure to teach intraverbal responding in five children with autism. In the TC condition, children were required to emit a sign and vocal response simultaneously, whereas in the PD condition, children were required to emit the sign only. Acquisition rates did not differ between the two procedures. In the third study, the authors compared two procedures for teaching intraverbal responses, echoic versus textual transfer of stimulus control methods. Effects were evaluated using a parallel treatments design. Both treatments were found to be equally effective for teaching intraverbal responses to three children with autism.

 

Preparing Caregivers as Interventionists and Trainers: Teaching Verbal Behavior to Children With Developmental Disabilities

Tara Olivia Loughrey (University of Nebraska Medical Center, Munroe-Meyer Institute), Bethany P. Contreras Young (Florida Institute of Technology), Lina M. Majdalany (Florida Institute of Technology), Nikki Rudy (Florida Institute of Technology), Stephanie A. Sinn (Florida Institute of Technology), Patricia Ann Teague (Behavior Services of Brevard), Genevieve K. Coxon (Florida Institute of Technology), ADA C. HARVEY (Florida Institute of Technology)
Abstract:

We evaluated the use of behavior skills training (BST) using a multiple-baseline-across-modules design to train caregivers on procedures commonly associated with mand training. We trained two caregivers on the following procedures: (a) conducting preference assessments, (b) delivering preferred items contingent on appropriate behavior, (c) capturing and contriving motivating operations, (d) conducting probes to assess the child�s current mand repertoire, (e ) errorless prompting using an echoic to mand transfer, (f) vocal shaping, (g) collecting data, and (h) correcting errors. We also assessed whether a trained caregiver could train their spouse on these procedures using pyramidal training. The effects of the intervention were evaluated through measurement of child behavior, specifically the frequency of spontaneous and prompted mands. During baseline, all three caregivers performed all skills near zero percent accuracy. Following training, caregivers� performance accuracy increased to above 80% accuracy which persisted during most maintenance probes. These results were replicated for the parent who received pyramidal training. Data collected with both children revealed spontaneous mands were occurring more frequently than prompted mands at the end of the study. The implications of caregivers implementing mand training procedures based on Skinner�s analysis are discussed.

 

Comparing Prompt Delay and Total Communication for Training Vocal Intraverbals in Children With Autism

ROSANA PESANTEZ (University of South Florida), Timothy M. Weil (University of South Florida)
Abstract:

Verbal behavior encompasses a wide range of aspects in our everyday lives, laws, and activities of a society. Many verbal behavior interventions often include programs to teach answering questions, referred to as intraverbals. Previous research has demonstrated a higher rate of acquisition of verbal targets such as mands and tacts for children with a limited verbal repertoire when a presentation of both sign and vocal prompts occur simultaneously (Total Communication), in comparison to sign-alone, or vocal-alone trainings. However, an important variable not often examined in the literature is the comparison of Total Communication (TC) and Prompt Delay (PD) to further evaluate what aspect of TC leads to higher rates of acquisition. The current study extended previous research by evaluating the relative effectiveness of TC and PD in teaching intraverbal skills to five children who have been diagnosed with autism. During the TC condition the participants were required to emit a vocal and sign response simultaneously. During the PD condition, participants were required to emit only a vocal response. A constant time delay strategy was used with a most-to-least prompt fading hierarchy for both conditions. It was found that acquisition rates did not differ between procedures.

 

Teaching Intraverbal Behavior to Children With Autism: A Comparison of Echoic and Textual Transfer of Stimulus Control Procedures

JENNY LEANN PAGAN (Quest Kids), Ada C. Harvey (Florida Institute of Technology), Elbert Q. Blakely (Florida Institute of Technology)
Abstract:

Children with autism often have delays in language, resulting in lack of functional language needed for them to excel by the normed standards of their typical peers. Skinner's Verbal Behavior has been used to train language skills in these children, filling in the gaps of deficits. Few published research articles are available relating to prompting procedures to train intraverbal behavior in children with autism and other developmental disabilities. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the differences in rates of acquisition of target intraverbal questions using echoic and textual transfer of stimulus control methods. This study also replicated and extended previous studies that asserted that textual prompts were more efficient in training intraverbal responses to children with autism. Results of the present study indicated that for the three participants chosen, there were not many differences in the rate of acquisition of the target intraverbal questions. The results show that both prompting procedures may be equally efficient for training intraverbal behavior in children with autism.

 

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