Review of The verbal behavior approach: How to teach children with autism and related disorders.

Abstract

Focusing mostly on the pragmatic issues parents and professionals will face when initiating an Applied Verbal Behavior (AVB) program for a child with autism, The Verbal Behavior Approach gives novices a logical, useful, and reader-friendly book that will assist them in a search for practical advice on AVB. The Verbal Behavior Approach provides useful information and resources for immediate application, accomplishing the book's main objective, providing for rapid implementation of an AVB program. Keywords: Autism, Verbal Behavior, Applied Verbal Behavior, Applied Behavior Analysis. ********** Parents of children with autism are a distinct group. The communication, behavioral, and social diagnostic criteria that characterize autism will take parents through a process that for some, necessitates a complete life reorientation. Mary Barbera is one of these parents. Barbera wrote a book, in conjunction with her co-author, Tracy Rasmussen, that represents the resolve of this distinct parent population. She changed careers to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst for her son, Lucas, but she wrote this book for future parents. Practical tips and personal examples are amply provided throughout the chapters, reflecting her experiences as both a mother of a child with autism and a professional. Her knowledge of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is apparent as she advocates for her of choice, Applied Verbal Behavior (AVB) The Verbal Behavior Approach is not, nor claims to be, a scholarly work based on research findings. Given Barbera's target audience, it makes sense that research references were sparse. In addition, Barbera recognizes that AVB is still developing as a research-supported and acknowledges that there are no controlled large group studies on this approach (p. 23). Barbera explains that she chose AVB because of the many single- subject studies, her son's experience of improved behaviors and skills, and the improvements she has observed in others she has served as a behavior analyst. In addition, AVB is based on the principles of ABA, which are strongly backed by research. In Chapter One, Barbera states that a primary goal of her book is to outline the VB so that parents and professionals have basic information about it and can begin to incorporate some of the information immediately (p.23). To this end, the book reads like a field guide. Barbera presents the information in a manner that is both accessible to parents and technically accurate. The book is well-organized by chapter (not unlike Skinner's Verbal Behavior) and includes applied examples and practical directions, many from Barbera's own professional and personal experiences. In each chapter, Barbera takes difficult concepts and explains them in a way that makes them comprehensible to parents and emerging professionals. For example, she states that a reinforcement system is necessary, and that while it may seem like an easy task to create such a system, It's a complicated dance that you really end up creating as you go along. (p. 59). Put this way, readers understand that they are not expected, at the outset, to know exactly what will work as a reinforcer. Barbera also highlights that one can only determine what serves as a reinforcer after observing how the delivery of a particular stimulus affects future response rates. Acknowledging the complexity further, Barbera emphasizes that figuring out what will serve as a reinforcer for an individual child may require a formal process, such as a reinforcer assessment. Throughout the book, Barbera stresses the importance of pairing the child's work area and instructors with positive reinforcement. She stresses that the development of rapport with the child is a prerequisite to learning. Assessment of the child's operant repertoire, receptive and imitative skills, and visual performance is discussed in a manner that is thorough enough for the purposes stated by the author. …