Vocal Mands Research Articles

Correction notice to Effects of PECS on the Emergence of Vocal Mands and the Reduction of Aggressive Behavior Across Settings for a Child with Autism

Correction notice to Effects of PECS on the Emergence of Vocal Mands and the Reduction of Aggressive Behavior Across Settings for a Child with Autism

POWER: A Caregiver Implemented Mand Training Intervention.

The development of a vocal mand repertoire is often delayed or deficient in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Utilizing caregivers as behavior change agents to address this core deficit may be advantageous as more learning opportunities can be incorporated in daily routines. A plethora of literature exists on teaching caregivers to promote communication with their children; however, many of these studies use behavioral skills training that can be resource-intensive. This study evaluated the effectiveness of video modeling with voice-over and on-screen text, without researcher mediation, as an alternative to behavioral skills training for teaching caregivers to teach vocal mands to their 2- to 5-year-old children with an autism spectrum disorder. The video model described mand training with an echoic prompt (Greer & Ross, 2008; Kodak & Clements, 2009), using a mnemonic (POWER: Play, Offer, Wait, Encourage, and Reinforce). Results of our nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across three dyads indicates that video modeling was effective in increasing all three caregivers' mand training fidelity, and this correlated to small increases in independent mands with some of the child participants when training occurred less than 1 hr per week. We discuss implications for practice and areas for future research.

Replication and Extension of the Effects of Lag Schedules on Mand Variability and Challenging Behavior During Functional Communication Training.

More is known about how to reduce challenging behavior with functional communication training (FCT) than how to mitigate its resurgence during or following a course of treatment. Research suggests reinforcing mand variability during FCT may mitigate the resurgence of challenging behavior, but validated procedures for reinforcing mand variability are limited and poorly understood. Lag schedules can reinforce variability in verbal behavior such as manding in individuals with autism, but studies have been largely limited to nonvocal mand modalities. Therefore, in the current study, we further evaluated the effects of FCT with lag schedules on vocal mand variability and challenging behavior in children with autism. The results suggest lag schedules alone or in combination with response prompt-fading strategies during FCT can increase mand variability and expand mand response classes but may fail to produce clinically significant reductions in challenging behavior.

A comparison of mand training and discrete trial training on the acquisition of vocal mands suggests that an antecedent verbal stimulus may inhibit independent manding

Q (1) Is mand training or discrete trial training (DTT) more effective in increasing the rate of acquisition of independent vocal mands?(2) What teaching procedures can produce a transfer of stimul...

Effects of a Behavior Intervention Package on Augmented and Vocal Mands by Children with Developmental Disabilities

Various types of augmentative and alternative communication systems have been successfully used to enable functional communication in children with developmental disabilities. The effects of such systems on natural speech production have also been investigated, but few studies have explored the effects of specific procedures aim at inducing natural speech within interventions focused on teaching functional use of augmentative and alternative communication systems. The current study investigated the effectiveness of a behavior intervention package for teaching functional use (manding) of an augmentative and alternative communication device and production of vocal mands with three children with developmental disabilities. The findings indicated that combining augmented and the behavioral intervention package facilitated the acquisition of vocalization and augmented mands. Further, one child showed generalization of the two different communication modes across communicative partners. Limitations of the study and implications are discussed.

Effects of PECS on the Emergence of Vocal Mands and the Reduction of Aggressive Behavior Across Settings for a Child With Autism

Effective strategies to address communication and behavior challenges are critical in early intervention programs. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) on vocal mands and aggressive behavior displayed by a child with autism in China. One 4-year-old boy with autism participated in this study. The experimental design was a multiple baseline across three settings. The PECS intervention involved the first three phases described in the PECS manual. The results indicated that PECS effectively increased vocal mands and decreased aggressive behavior maintained by access to preferred items in all three settings. The results also suggested that vocal mands were potentially controlled by pictures in the PECS book. One week following the completion of the intervention, the child maintained the PECS exchanges at a high level with increased vocal mands. His aggressive behavior remained at almost zero occurrences. Results of this study have important implications to early intervention educators working with children with autism.

Effects of a lag schedule of reinforcement with progressive time delay on topographical mand variability in children with autism

ABSTRACTObjective: Evaluate the effects of a Lag 1 schedule of reinforcement and progressive time delay (TD) on topographical mand variability in children with autism. Methods: Using single-subject design methodology, a multiple baseline across behaviors with embedded reversal design was employed. During Lag 0, reinforcement was delivered contingent on any independent instances of manding. During Lag 1 + TD, prompts were faded and reinforcement was delivered contingent on independent or prompted variant mand topographies. Results: Higher levels of topographical mand variability were observed during Lag 1 + TD for both participants. Conclusions: A Lag 1 schedule of reinforcement with progressive TD increased variability across functionally equivalent vocal mand topographies for both participants. This finding extends prior literature by providing a novel model for studying reinforced mand variability in children, and by demonstrating how practitioners could use prompts and differential reinforcement to increase topographical mand variability in children with autism.

The use of a discrimination-training procedure to teach mand variability to children with autism.

We investigated the effects of a script-fading and discrimination-training procedure on mand variability in preschoolers with autism. Participants were taught to vary their vocal mands in the presence of written scripts, a green placemat, and a lag schedule of reinforcement. They were also taught to engage in repetitive mands in the presence of the same written scripts and a red placemat. When the scripts were removed, all 3 participants continued to engage in varied manding in the presence of the green placemat and lag schedule, and they continued to engage in repetitive manding in the presence of the red placemat. When the lag schedule was also removed, 2 of the 3 participants continued to engage in varied responding in the presence of the green placemat and repetitive responding in the presence of the red placemat. Finally, all 3 participants demonstrated generalization and maintenance of mand variability during snack sessions with their peers.

A Comparison of Vocal Mand Training Strategies for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Based on Skinner’s classification of verbal behavior, the mand is the first and most advantageous verbal operant to develop. Deficits in vocal mand repertoires are common in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and can lead to decreased social interaction and increased problem behavior. The present investigation compared the effects of two mand training procedures on the acquisition and mastery of vocal mands by four young children with ASD using an adapted alternating treatment design. An in vivo mand training procedure, which involved the therapist contriving an establishing operation and delivering a vocal model, was compared with a video modeling procedure wherein the therapist presented a video model prior to contriving an establishing operation. Overall, participants acquired and mastered mands assigned to the video modeling condition faster than mands assigned to the in vivo mand training condition. The results demonstrate the potential efficacy of video modeling for teaching verbal operants to children with ASD.

Collateral effects of mand training for children with autism

Proponents of the verbal behavior approach to instruction for individuals with autism have identified mand training as a starting point for early intervention. Mand training is a process whereby the learner is taught to request highly preferred items under conditions when those items are most valuable. A hypothesized benefit of this approach is that mand training has a collateral effect on nontargeted behavior, though empirical support for this hypothesis is currently tenuous. The present investigation examined the collateral effects of vocal mand training compared to vocal request training for 3 previously nonvocal children with autism. Levels of orienting toward a speaker, compliance with instruction, and overall problem behavior were measured across experimental conditions and analyzed using an alternating treatment design. Results indicate that problem behavior for all participants occurred at lower levels during mand training than request training and that the level of nontargeted social behavior (i.e., orienting and compliance) was higher during mand training for 2 participants and was similar across both conditions for the final participant. The results support the hypothesis that mand training can have a collateral impact on nontargeted behavior, though explicit instruction of social behaviors may also need to be embedded within mand training procedures.

THE EFFECTS OF BEHAVIORAL SKILLS TRAINING ON MAND TRAINING BY STAFF AND UNPROMPTED VOCAL MANDS BY CHILDREN

We evaluated the effects of a training package, including instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback, for training staff members to conduct mand training with children. Experimenters collected data on staff performance on each step of a task analysis of mand training and on unprompted child vocal mands. Training resulted in increases in staff performance in mand training and in unprompted mands by children. We observed replication of these effects across settings for all staff and for 3 of the children.

The effects of prompting, fading, and differential reinforcement on vocal mands in non‐verbal preschool children with autism spectrum disorders

AbstractThere are few procedures to teach non‐vocal children vocal mands. This study evaluated the effects of prompting, fading, and differential reinforcement on eye contact, pointing, vocal approximations, independent requests and immature mands in three children with Autism Spectrum Disorders who in baseline emitted almost no independent vocal mands. This procedure resulted in a large and socially valid increase in independent vocal mands, other appropriate responses and near elimination of immature mands. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Contingências envolvidas na condução do desenvolvimento verbal de uma criança de 5 anos.

Comportamento verbal é comportamento operante, sujeito a leis de reforçamento. Contingências de reforçamento podem produzir supressão ou baixa frequência de emissão de respostas verbais. O objetivo deste trabalho foi: levantar hipóteses de possíveis contingências de reforçamento que pudessem provocar supressão e/ou baixa frequência na emissão respostas verbais; observar interações familiares e identificar contingências que pudessem diminuir ou aumentar a frequência de emissão de respostas verbais e comportamentos inadequados; e, desenvolver procedimentos de intervenção através de orientações aos pais e verificar possíveis mudanças na frequência de emissão de respostas verbais de uma criança de cinco anos. Para isso, foram feitas: entrevista para levantamento da história de vida da criança e da queixa; observações semanais de uma hora na residência da criança por um período de sete meses; e, orientações aos pais ao final de cada sessão de observação para que usassem procedimentos tais como reforçamento diferencial de respostas alternativas, ensino de nomeação, reforçamento de mandos vocais, consequenciação de emissão de resposta verbal, alteração na frequência de assistir TV e jogar vídeo-game e extinção para comportamentos inadequados. As interações entre os membros da família durante as sessões de intervenção foram transcritas e categorizadas. Os resultados mostram que a criança em sua história de reforçamento e no início do estudo, foi exposta a contingências desfavoráveis ao desenvolvimento de respostas verbais, o que produziu supressão e/ou baixa frequência de emissão de respostas verbais. As orientações emitidas pela pesquisadora parecem ter produzido mudanças nos comportamentos dos pais e consequentemente, nos comportamentos da criança, provocando aumento na frequência de emissão de verbalizações e diminuição dos comportamentos inadequados. Além disso, os dados mostram que ocorreram mudanças na interação de todos os membros da família.

Using motivating operations to evoke question-asking behavior can be effective in teaching language skills to preschoolers with autism1

What are the effects of motivating operations and the use of high-preference and low-preference items on the acquisition of vocal mands for information by preschoolers with autism? 1 Abstracted fro...

Use of a Braille Exchange Communication System to Improve Articulation and Acquire Mands with a Legally Blind and Developmentally Disabled Female

This research examined the effectiveness of a Braille Exchange Communication System (BECS) on a legally blind adult with developmental disabilities to determine the effects on word articulation and acquisition of mands. The procedures used a multiple baseline design across four sets of words in a three-phase experiment. Phase one measured word articulation. Phase two measured acquisition of vocal mands. Phase three analyzed the exchange for communication component. Results for phases one and two showed that with verbal prompts and fading procedures, verbal responding increased dramatically. For phase three, using BECS was effective in improving communication exchanges through the use of physical prompting with fading procedures. An additional unique feature of having a third person score IOA data was included to ensure vocal response integrity.

Using Mand Training to Establish an Echoic Repertoire in Young Children with Autism

This research describes a method that initially establishes a mand repertoire as the first component in producing echoic and tact repertoires in young children with limited verbal repertoires. The subjects were 3 nonverbal children with autism, aged 2.5 to 3.5 years. The results indicated that establishing a mand repertoire as the starting point for echoic training produced the acquisition of an initial echoic repertoire in all 3 children within the first 10 sessions. Two of the children also began tacting during the same period. A mand repertoire was acquired by all subjects by the sixth session. Negative vocal behavior was rapidly reduced without the use of aversive contingencies by shaping inapproapriate vocalizations into acceptable vocal mands. Our discussion analyzes those contingencies that contribute to the effectiveness of the manding procedure and compares this procedure with the conventional vocal imitation model. We also discuss variables that may contribute to the long-term success of language training programs and describe strategies for preventing language delay in typical infants and children.