Teaching mands for actions to children with autism spectrum disorder using systematic instruction, behavior chain interruption, and a speech-generating device

摘要

Design: Multiple Probe Design Allocation: All three participants were exposed to treatment. Blinding: Interventionists and the individuals analyzing the data were not blind to the purpose of the study. Study duration: This study took place across 113 sessions, including baseline, intervention, training, generalization, and follow-up. Setting: Sessions for two of the participants (Ryan and Franny) were conducted in a small conference room in their school. Sessions for the third participant (Seth) were conducted in a university-based clinic room. Participants: Three participants were included in the study. Ryan was a 10-year-old male, with a diagnosis of autism. He demonstrated an age equivalency of 18 months according to the Verbal Behavior: Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP; Sundberg, 2008). Finally, he was able to spontaneously mand for 50 different items, including 15 missing items. Franny was a 13-year-old female, with the dual diagnosis of autism and Down syndrome. She demonstrated an age equivalency of 18 months according to the VB-MAPP. She was able to use a speech-generating device (SGD) and a picture communication system to mand for 15 different items with discrimination. Seth was a 5-year-old male, with a diagnosis of autism. He demonstrated an age equivalency of 18 months as measured by the VB-MAPP. He displayed the ability to mand for 15 different items, with discrimination.