Why Verbal Behavior Therapy?

Targeting individual language and learning skills with Verbal Behavior Therapy...What’s it all about?

        Children with autism present with a range of compromised and scattered communication skills. Knowing a child’s strengths and weaknesses in regard to language acquisition is critical to addressing these needs.  For children to benefit most from the use of picture book activities it is essential to have a working understanding of the principals of behavior analysis and Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior.  For more in-depth information on verbal behavior therapy and getting a program started click on the Resources tab.  

       Skinner’s functional analysis of language is composed of several different speaker and listener behaviors. For example, when a person says the word juice it may be that the person is thirsty and asking for juice (mand), or just saw a picture of juice and was naming what was seen (tact), or was commenting on a commonality between certain fruits (intraverbal), or was maybe repeating someone else saying juice (echoic), or spelling j-u-i-c-e while writing it (transcription).  As you can see, the same word is controlled by different variables and may occur under one set of control but not under another.  Each repertoire needs to be assessed and taught as each is a functionally separate verbal behavior.  A general description of each verbal operant and the treatment of each language skill is listed below. 

            
       Mand:  

       
       When a child is asking for something he wants.  May be verbal, sign, picture or gesture.  Mands are very important for early development of language and are the first communication interaction to develop. 

       Skinner (1957) states that the mand is the only type of verbal behavior that gets the speaker what he wants 9reinforcers) such as edibles, toys, activities, or attention.  Mands can become strong forms of verbal behavior because they satisfy an immediate need experienced by the child. Eventually the child learns to mand for a variety of reinforcers including information with words like “what,” “who,” “where,” “when,” “how.”

       Tact:  
       
       Naming or identifying objects, actions, attributes, events, etc. in the immediate environment.  (similar to expressive language.)  The child has direct contact with the item (nonverbal stimuli).  For example, says “baby” because he sees a baby, a picture of a baby or hears a baby cry.  Skinner (1957) selected tact from the word contact suggesting the person is making contact with the item in his environment. 

       There are many nonverbal stimuli in a child’s world that he must learn such as family members, toys, food, clothing, household objects, as well as verbs, prepositions, adjectives, adverbs.  A tact can be as simple as “the flower”, or have multiple properties such as, “the tall red flower growing in the big blue pot next to the back door.  

       Intraverbal: 

       
       Answering questions or having conversation by responding to the words of others.  The act of talking about things, activities and events including those not present.  Teaching intraverbals to early learners is addressed by filling in words to songs, animal sounds, fun activities, one-two word responses to WH questions regarding personal information, and a given item's feature, function, and category.  
       “A conversation, for example, can involve mands, tacts, and intraverbals in the following ways: (1) a mand repertoire allows a speaker to ask questions, (2) a tact repertoire allows a speaker to talk about items or events that are physically present, and (3) an intraverbal repertoire allows a speaker to answer questions and talk about (and think about) objects and events that are not physically present.”   Mark Sundberg, PhD.

       Receptive ID/Listener Responding:                                                           
       
       Attending to the speaker, and showing understanding through following instructions or requests of others. Response may be verbal or nonverbal.  Receptive ID begins with selecting a certain item from an array of:  items (“Find the shoes.”); following an instruction (“Get your shoes.”); performing an action (“Put on your shoes.”).  As a child’s repertoire builds, the ability to follow more complex sentences must build as well.  Finding his school shoes out of a pile of shoes in the family hallway, or when asked what kind of shoes does mommy wear when she dresses up is a much harder task.  Finding the fish in an array of 5 animals when told “find the fish.” is much less complex than being asked, “What do you find at a pet store that lives in a tank, has no legs, and swims?”

       
       Echoic/Vocal Imitation:  

       
       Repeating words and sounds that have been heard.  For example, a child saying “dog” after hearing the word dog said by an adult.  Children that are echoic often repeat back the question being asked rather than giving an answer.  Working with them becomes an art of quickly stating the question, followed by the answer you wish for them repeat. Gradually fade the prompted answer until they can answer the question independently. The use of children’s songs lend well to vocal play.  For example when singing Old MacDonald Had a Farm the E-I-E-I-O and animal sounds can be the echoic vocal imitation. The child first learns by repeating the sounds, and then prompts fade to where the child is just filling in the sounds at the appropriate pause.

       Motor Imitation:  

           
       Copying someone’s motor movements to learn sign language when the child is nonvocal can increase communication and reduce frustration.  Teach mands first, then teach the mands as tacts followed by intraverbals.
        Motor imitation teaches the child motor actions and repertoires of motor movements which then leads to following the lead of others in play, turn taking, classroom routines, attending to others, group activities, social behavior, and echoic responses.  It increases listener skills by following a lead to “do this” or “do the same."  Motor imitation also includes early writing skills of coloring, tracing, copying shapes, letters, and writing own name.  

       Visual Performance:  

       Completing puzzles, matching pictures, matching objects with pictures, sorting by groups, features, functions, block designs and patterns, matching associated pictures, sequencing, matching shapes, numerals, letters, and simple words, games, assembling toys, peg boards, shape box, arts and craft activities.
        Visual perceptual skills teach the child visual discrimination while at the same time increases listener skills in following directions to complete the various tasks. Children are also introduced to pre-math and pre-literacy concepts.  Activities can be shared with a peer for peer modeling. 

       
       Reading:  

            
       Reading skills for many young children with autism include intensive 1:1 instruction engaging with books, i.e turning pages, pointing to named objects, pointing to letters and words, answering simple questions. Board books, big books, books on CD, Playaway,  IPad, and Nook offer options for exposing children to print and illustrations. Early language and literacy skills include identifying and labeling letters and sounds of letters, matching letters on word cards, matching words with words and words with pictures, pointing to spell words left to right, reading simple words and decoding words, reading simple instructions with picture cues and following through, filling in missing words, reading and answering simple questions.  Reading comprehension is addressed through intraverbal assessments (conversation about the story). 

       Math:  

            
       Along with visual perceptual skills there are a variety of math skills to introduce through verbal behavior activities.  Rote counting, numeral ID and labeling, matching sets to numbers, computation, and basic concepts of size, position, weight, measurement, and money.

       Play Skills:  

            
       The ability to functionally engage with toys, games & props, also along with peers and adults while exchanging ideas through conversation. 

       Small Group Skills:  

       The child’s ability to sit with peers without disruptive behavior and to attend to the teacher and activity within ability level. Student may require prompts to be successful in learning the rules of turn taking, raising one’s hand, sharing materials, and social activities.

In addition to the verbal operants a VB program also includes understanding and use of reinforcers, prompting hierarchy, errorless teaching, intensive trial teaching, and natural environment teaching.
Please see Resources for in-depth publications by leading BCBA's.

References

 Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills – Revised (ABLLS-R) 
James W. Partington, PhD., BCBA-D  

 Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program Guide VB-MAPP)  
 Mark L. Sundberg, PhD.

Motivation and Reinforcement: Turning the Tables on Autism 
Robert Schramm, MA, BCBA