Abstract
Young children with autism may fail to mand using a range of frames (e.g., “I want,” “May I have,” “Please give me”). We examined the effects of simultaneous script training and script fading on acquisition and maintenance of varied mand frames with six preschool children with autism. For participants who did not demonstrate increased mand variability under fixed-ratio (FR) 1 conditions, we assessed the effects of post script-training extinction on response variability. Following training of up to four different mand frames, three of six participants emitted more varied mands under FR1 conditions relative to baseline. Posttraining extinction resulted in increased mand variability for two of the three remaining participants. Results are discussed in terms of considerations for both establishing and ensuring the persistence of varied verbal behavior among children with autism.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Betz, A. M., Higbee, T. S., Kelley, K. N., Sellers, T. P., & Pollard, J. S. (2011). Increasing response variability of mand frames with script training and extinction procedures. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44, 357–362. doi:10.1901/jaba.2011.44-357.
Boucher, J. (1977). Alternation and sequencing behavior, and response to novelty in autistic children. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 18, 67–72. doi:10.1111/j.1469-7610.1977.tb00417.x.
Brodhead, M. T., Higbee, T. S., Grencser, K, R., & Akers, J. S. (in press). The use of a discrimination training procedure to reach mand variability to children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Cammilleri, A. P., Tiger, J. H., & Hanley, G. P. (2008). Developing stimulus control of young children’s requests to teachers: classwide applications of multiple schedules. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 41, 299–303. doi:10.1901/jaba.2008.41-299.
Esch, J. W., Esch, B. E., & Love, J. R. (2009). Increasing vocal variability in children with autism using a lag schedule of reinforcement. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 25, 73–78. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2013.08.004.
Frith, U. (1972). Cognitive mechanisms in autism: experiments with color and tone production. Journal of Autism and Childhood Schizophrenia, 2, 160–173. doi:10.1007/BF01537569.
Goetz, E. M., & Baer, D. M. (1973). Social control of form diversity and the emergence of new forms in children’s block building. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 6, 209–217. doi:10.1901/jaba.1973.6-209.
Grow, L. L., Kelley, M. E., Roane, H. S., & Shillingsburg, M. A. (2008). Utility of extinction-based response variability for the selection of mands. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 41, 15–24. doi:10.1901/jaba.2008.41-15.
Harding, J. W., Wacker, D. P., Berg, W. K., Rick, G., & Lee, J. F. (2004). Promoting response generalization and stimulus generalization in martial arts training. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 185–195. doi:10.1901/jaba.2004.37-185.
Krantz, P. J., & McClannahan, L. E. (1993). Teaching children with autism to initiate to peers: effects of a script-fading procedure. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 26, 121–132. doi:10.1901/jaba.1993.26-121.
Krantz, P. J., & McClannahan, L. E. (1998). Social interaction skills for children with autism: a script-fading procedure for beginning readers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 31, 191–202. doi:10.1901/jaba.1998.31-191.
Lee, R., McComas, J. J., & Jawor, J. (2002). The effects of differential and lag reinforcement schedules on varied verbal responding by individuals with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 35, 391–402. doi:10.1901/jaba.2002.35-391.
Lee, R., & Sturmey, P. (2006). The effects of lag schedules and preferred materials on variable responding in students with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 421–428. doi:10.1007/s10803-006-0080-7.
Lee, R., Sturmey, P., & Fields, L. (2007). Schedule-induced and operant mechanisms that influence response variability: a review and implications for future investigations. The Psychological Record, 57, 429–455.
MacDuff, J. L., Ledo, R., McClannahan, L. E., & Krantz, P. J. (2007). Using scripts and script-fading procedures to promote bids for joint attention by young children with autism. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 1, 281–290. doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2006.11.003.
Neuringer, A. (2002). Operant variability: evidence, functions, and theory. Journal of Experimental Behavior Analysis, 9, 672–705. doi:10.3758/BF03196324.
Neuringer, A., Kornell, N., & Olufs, M. (2001). Stability and variability in extinction. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Animal Behavioral Processes, 27, 79–94. doi:10.1037/0097-7403.27.1.79.
Peters, L. C., & Thompson, R. H. (2015). Teaching children with autism to respond to conversation partners’ interest. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 48, 544–562. doi:10.1002/jaba.235.
Rodriguez, N. M., & Thompson, R. H. (2015). Behavioral variability and autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 48, 167–187. doi:10.1002/jaba.164.
Sundberg, M. L., & Michael, J. (2001). The benefits of Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior for children with autism. Behavior Modification, 25, 698–724. doi:10.1177/0145445501255003.
Wolfe, K., Slocum, T. A., & Kunnavatana, S. S. (2014). Promoting behavioral variability in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: a literature review. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 29, 180–190. doi:10.1177/1088357614525661.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Ethical Approval
“All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.”
Informed Consent
“Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.”
Additional information
Authors’ Information
Katie Wolfe is now at the Special Education Programs, Department of Educational Studies, University of South Carolina, and Kristen Kelley is at Trumpet Behavioral Health.
The authors thank Daphne Hartzheim and Jared Gunnell for their work on this project.
This study is based on dissertations submitted by the first and second authors, under the direction of the third author, to the Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation at Utah State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the PhD degree.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sellers, T.P., Kelley, K., Higbee, T.S. et al. Effects of Simultaneous Script Training on Use of Varied Mand Frames by Preschoolers with Autism. Analysis Verbal Behav 32, 15–26 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-015-0049-8
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-015-0049-8