ERIC Number: EJ931962
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011
Pages: 6
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-8855
EISSN: N/A
Increasing Response Variability of Mand Frames with Script Training and Extinction
Betz, Alison M.; Higbee, Thomas S.; Kelley, Kristen N.; Sellers, Tyra P.; Pollard, Joy S.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, v44 n2 p357-362 Sum 2011
Children with autism often demonstrate less variable behavior than their typically developing peers and those with other cognitive disabilities. A possible reason for lack of response variability emitted by children with autism is that they do not have a variety of response forms in their repertoire. Multiple-exemplar training through the use of scripts is one strategy that has been used to build verbal repertoires of children with autism. Extinction also has been shown to increase response variability. Given the effectiveness of script training in increasing verbal repertoires and the effectiveness of extinction for increasing response variability, the authors attempted to evaluate the effectiveness of these procedures, in isolation and in combination, on the response variability of young children with autism as they requested preferred items during snack time. Results demonstrated that extinction following script training was effective for increasing variability for 2 of the 3 participants. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Preschool Children, Autism, Verbal Operant Conditioning, Child Behavior, Learning Processes, Responses, Behavior Modification
Society for the Experimental Analysis of Behavior. Available from: Department of Applied Behavioral Science. Kansas University, 1000 Sunnyside Avenue, Lawrence, KS 66045-2133. Tel: 785-841-4425; Fax: 785-841-4425; e-mail: behavior@mail.ku.edu; Web site: http://seab.envmed.rochester.edu/jaba/index.html
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