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Intraverbal tacts are an example of multiply controlled verbal behavior. More specifically, they are verbal responses under control of both a nonverbal (visual) stimulus (e.g., a green ball) and a verbal (auditory) stimulus (e.g., "What color?" vs. "What shape?"). Studies have shown that verbal behavior training can be arranged in a way that would lead to the emergence of other verbal operants, including multiply controlled (convergent) intraverbals. Our study sought to evaluate the relevance of a specific set of component skills on the emergence of intraverbal tacts in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Intraverbal tacts were observed only when all component skills were mastered, suggesting that this set of skills was sufficient to produce emergent verbal performance. Preliminary data were obtained on the necessity of 4 of the 6 component skills and tentatively suggest that they may be necessary to produce emergent intraverbal tacts, at least under some conditions.

Researchers have demonstrated the efficacy of picture prompts on the acquisition of intraverbals (Coon & Miguel in "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis," 45, 657-666, 2012; Goldsmith, LeBlanc, & Sautter in "Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders," 1, 1-13, 2007; Ingvarsson & Hollobaugh in "Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis," 44, 659-664, 2011; Ingvarsson & Le in "The Analysis of Verbal Behavior," 27, 75-93, 2011; Miguel, Petursdottir, & Carr in "The Analysis of Verbal Behavior," 21, 27-41, 2005; Partington & Bailey in "The Analysis of Verbal Behavior," 11, 9-18, 1993). However, no one (to our knowledge) has determined the effects of picture prompts on the variability of responding during intraverbal categorization. We evaluated the use of a scenic picture prompt on response variability during the acquisition of intraverbal categorization with 4 children diagnosed with autism. All children mastered the task and initially demonstrated varied responding. However, responding eventually became invariant for all children. These results demonstrate the efficacy of a scenic picture prompt for teaching children with autism intraverbal categorization and for producing initial response variability. Additional research should be conducted to determine teaching procedures that promote continued varied responding for individuals with autism.

Convergent intraverbals represent a specific type of intraverbal in which multiple components of one speaker's verbal behavior control a specific verbal response from another speaker (e.g., Speaker 1: What wooly, horned animal lives in the high country? Speaker 2: Bighorn sheep). To foster the development of advanced language, Sundberg and Sundberg (2011) proposed prerequisite skills that may engender the emergence of novel, convergent intraverbals. We used a multiple-probe design with both nonconcurrent (across participants) and concurrent (across stimulus sets) components to evaluate the effects of training these prerequisite skills on the emergence of convergent intraverbals with four children with autism. Participants showed the emergence of convergent intraverbals at mastery levels after they displayed mastery performance on all of the prerequisite skills identified by Sundberg and Sundberg, lending support to their characterization as prerequisites. We discuss these findings in terms of operant mechanisms that may facilitate the development of generative language.

Despite its advantages, discrete-trial instruction (DTI) has been criticized for producing rote responding. Although there is little research supporting this claim, if true, this may be problematic given the propensity of children with autism to engage in restricted and repetitive behavior. One feature that is common in DTI that may contribute to rote responding is the prompting and reinforcement of one correct response per discriminative stimulus. To evaluate the potential negative effects of rote prompts on varied responding, we compared the effects of modeling rote versus varied target responses during the teaching of intraverbal categorization. We also evaluated the effects of these procedures on the efficiency of acquisition of any one correct response. For all four children, any increase in varied responding was fleeting, and for two participants, acquisition was slower in the variable-modeling condition.

We taught three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to request help using an interrupted chain procedure during which we manipulated task materials such that the child was either incapable or capable of independently completing a link of a behavior chain. We initially observed undesirable generalization of requests for help during capable trials when teaching was introduced during incapable trials for two participants and to a lesser extent for the third participant. However, with repeated exposure to differential prompting and reinforcement across incapable and capable trials, differential responding was observed across EO-present and EO-absent trials for all three participants during both teaching sets and one generalization set that was never exposed to teaching procedures. These findings suggest that it is important to consider the antecedent conditions under which the response should occur when teaching children to request help.

Background: There is a need for a more accurate characterisation of higher level restricted and repetitive behaviour (RRB) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including why it might be considered problematic and events associated with its occurrence. Method: We selected one form of higher level RRB--arranging and ordering--that was rated as severe for a large percentage of the population sampled. We interviewed 20 students' teachers and conducted naturalistic observations for 15 of those students. Results: The characteristics of arranging and ordering varied across, and sometimes within, individuals. Problems associated with compulsive-like1 behaviour also varied, with several unanticipated reported problems. With the exception of attention, social consequences were relatively infrequent. Conclusions: These data highlight the need for research on the assessment and treatment of arranging and ordering and clinical attention to compulsive-like behaviour in ASD. Interviews and naturalistic observations are useful for structuring additional observations and analyses.

Intraverbal tacts are an example of multiply controlled verbal behavior. More specifically, they are verbal responses under control of both a nonverbal (visual) stimulus (e.g., a green ball) and a verbal (auditory) stimulus (e.g., "What color?" vs. "What shape?"). Studies have shown that verbal behavior training can be arranged in a way that would lead to the emergence of other verbal operants, including multiply controlled (convergent) intraverbals. Our study sought to evaluate the relevance of a specific set of component skills on the emergence of intraverbal tacts in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Intraverbal tacts were observed only when all component skills were mastered, suggesting that this set of skills was sufficient to produce emergent verbal performance. Preliminary data were obtained on the necessity of 4 of the 6 component skills and tentatively suggest that they may be necessary to produce emergent intraverbal tacts, at least under some conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed children's and caregivers' preferences for various arrangements of negative reinforcement, including differential negative reinforcement of an alternative behavior (DNRA), noncontingent escape (NCE), and escape extinction. In the first treatment comparison, the DNRA and NCE treatments similarly decreased problem behavior, but all 3 children preferred DNRA. By contrast, 3 of 4 caregivers preferred escape extinction, likely due to increased compliance in this condition. In a second treatment comparision with 1 child, a multiple schedule and then a chained schedule were introduced to increase the practically of the initial DNRA treatment. The child continued to prefer the treatment with contingent reinforcement in both comparisons, and his caregivers preferred the chained schedule. Results further support the selection of treatments that include contingent reinforcement, and the evaluation serves as a model for progressing through treatment options until child and caregiver preferences align. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elopement can have serious or fatal consequences associated with leaving the presence of an adult or getting lost (e.g., traffic injury and drowning). Given the dangers associated with elopement, caregivers are likely to chase after their child when elopement occurs. Like other forms of attention that follow problem behavior, chasing and retrieving the child may serve as a reinforcer and therefore maintain elopement. However, no study to date has evaluated whether elopement is sensitive to positive reinforcement in the form of chase. We evaluated the effects of chase on elopement with an 8‐year old boy diagnosed with autism. Elopement was maintained, at least in part, by chase. We then conducted a treatment evaluation in which we tested the effects of various antecedent‐ and consequence‐based treatment components within a multiple schedule. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We taught three children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder to request help using an interrupted chain procedure during which we manipulated task materials such that the child was either incapable or capable of independently completing a link of a behavior chain. We initially observed undesirable generalization of requests for help during capable trials when teaching was introduced during incapable trials for two participants and to a lesser extent for the third participant. However, with repeated exposure to differential prompting and reinforcement across incapable and capable trials, differential responding was observed across EO-present and EO-absent trials for all three participants during both teaching sets and one generalization set that was never exposed to teaching procedures. These findings suggest that it is important to consider the antecedent conditions under which the response should occur when teaching children to request help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We evaluated the efficacy of a procedure that incorporated a mirror to teach gross motor imitation with a 2-year-old boy who had been diagnosed with autistic disorder. Responses taught with a mirror were acquired more quickly than responses taught without the mirror and were maintained after the mirror was removed. These data indicate that a mirror can facilitate acquisition of motor imitation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]