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| Interventions to Improve the Language Skills of Young Children with Developmental Disabilities |
| Tuesday, May 26, 2009 |
| 10:30 AM–11:50 AM |
| North 124 B |
| Area: AUT/EDC; Domain: Applied Behavior Analysis |
| Chair: Peter Sturmey (Queens College, CUNY) |
| Discussant: Peter Sturmey (Queens College, CUNY) |
| Abstract: The following symposium will examine interventions to improve manding skills of children with autism. The first talk will discuss the efficacy of using prompting, fading, and differential reinforcement on vocal mands in non-vocal children with autism. Results of this study indicate that training was effective in increasing independent vocal mands and decreasing immature immature mands. The second talk examines the effects of behavioral skills training on correct staff implementation of Natural Language Paradigm (NLP) and child vocalizations. The third study that will be discussed is an extension of the second study and examined the effects of Behavioral Skills Training and General Case Teaching on staff performance of NLP with addition of a chaining component and child vocalizations. Both staff training studies found large increases in staff correct performance and decreases in idiosyncratic staff errors following intervention and increases in appropriate vocalizations in most child participants. |
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| The Effects of Prompting, Fading, and Differential Reinforcement on Vocal Mands in Non-Verbal Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders |
| BENJAMIN R THOMAS (Queens College), Michael Lafasakis (HCHC Inc./Queens College ABA), Peter Sturmey (Queens College, CUNY) |
| Abstract: There 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. |
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| Behavior Skills Training and Natural Language Paradigm: The Effects of Correct Teacher Implementation of Natural Language Paradigm on Child Vocalizations |
| STAMATIOS GIANOUMIS (Children's Home Intervention Program), Michael Lafasakis (HCHC Inc./Queens College ABA), Laura J. Seiverling (The Graduate Center and Queens College, CUNY), Peter Sturmey (Queens College, CUNY) |
| Abstract: A behavioral skills training package was used to train teachers to implement Natural Language Paradigm (NLP) teaching procedures with 3 preschool children with autism. Results indicated training served to increase correct teacher performance and reduce errors systematically across all three teachers during NLP teaching sessions. Correct teacher performance increased with children for whom teachers did not directly receive training. Further, increased correct teacher performance served to increase appropriate vocalization and decrease maladaptive behavior across children they worked with during session. Data indicate that behavioral skills training was effective in training teachers in the generalized implementation of complex NLP teaching procedures across children. |
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| The Effects of Behavioral Skills Training and General Case Teaching on Staff Performance of Natural Language Paradigm and Child Vocalizations |
| LAURA J. SEIVERLING (The Graduate Center and Queens College, CUNY), Peter Sturmey (Queens College, CUNY), Maria Pantelides (Queens College, City University of New York), Henry Ruiz (Queens College, City University of New York) |
| Abstract: This study used Behavioral Skills Training (BST) and General Case Training (GCT) with the experimenter simulating child performance to teach 3 staff how to conduct NLP with a chaining component to increase vocal successive approximations in 3 children with autism. Staff increased and maintained their NLP correct performance during post-training in comparison to baseline. Two out of 3 children showed increases in vocal successive approximations for stimuli following training and when comparing pre-baseline and post-treatment vocal assessments. This study demonstrated that BST and GCT were effective in training NLP with a chaining component. The inclusion of pre-baseline and post-treatment child vocal assessments as well as treatment integrity and social validity measures were also contributions of this study. |
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