ERIC Number: EJ1052587
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2013
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0889-9401
EISSN: N/A
Teaching Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders to Mand for the Removal of Stimuli That Prevent Access to Preferred Items
Shillingsburg, M. Alice; Powell, Nicole M.; Bowen, Crystal N.
Analysis of Verbal Behavior, v29 p51-57 2013
Mand training is often a primary focus in early language instruction and typically includes mands that are positively reinforced. However, mands maintained by negative reinforcement are also important skills to teach. These include mands to escape aversive demands or unwanted items. Another type of negatively reinforced mand important to teach involves the removal of a stimulus that prevents access to a preferred activity. We taught 5 participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders to mand for the removal of a stimulus in order to access a preferred item that had been blocked. An evaluation was conducted to determine if participants responded differentially when the establishing operations for the preferred item were present versus absent. All participants learned to mand for the removal of the stimulus exclusively under conditions when the establishing operation was present.
Descriptors: Verbal Operant Conditioning, Autism, Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Negative Reinforcement, Responses, Young Children, Visual Stimuli, Verbal Communication, Comparative Analysis, Teaching Methods
Association for Behavior Analysis International. 1219 South Park Street, Kalamazoo, MI 49001. Tel: 269-492-9310; Fax: 269-492-9316; e-mail: mail@abainternational.org; Web site: https://www.abainternational.org/journals/the-analysis-of-verbal-behavior.aspx
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A