A Behavioral Approach to Communication Skills

1. A Behavioral Approach to Communication Skills Benjamin R. Thomas, M.A., BCBA

2. Behavior • Behavior is anything people: Do or Say

3. Appropriate Behaviors • Communication with others • Play and leisure skills • Social behaviors with family and friends • Following directions/listening • Etc.

4. Communication Behaviors • Appropriate communication is often difficult for people with disabilities • Children who cannot communicate basicneeds may have very frustrating lives • Many children can learn inappropriate ways to request things or to make things they don’t like go away, like whining to get attention or laying on the floor to get out of school work

5. Behavior • Behavior is: • Nonverbal: interacts with environment only • Verbal: interacts/communicates with another person

6. How is Language Measured in a Traditional Linguistic Analysis? • The focus is on response forms, topography, and structure • Phonemes • Morphemes • Lexicon • Syntax • Grammar • Semantics • Mean length of utterances (MLU); words, phrases, sentences • Classification system: nouns, verbs, prepositions, adjectives, adverbs, etc.

7. What is “Verbal Behavior?” • Verbal Behavior = Behavior • Operant conditioning: B.F. Skinner • Verbal Behavior that is learned via the same mechanisms as other behavior • Reinforcement • Punishment • A-B-C

8. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) • The three-term contingency (ABC analysis) AntecedentBehaviorConsequence Child wants juice Says “Juice” Parent gives child juice AntecedentBehaviorConsequence Child doesn’t want Runs from adults Delays taking a bath to take a bath and gets chased

9. What Causes Behaviors? Antecedent: - The cues for the behavior - Where and when a behavior is likely to occur Consequence: - The events that follow a behavior • What happens immediately after a behavior occurs? • Reinforcement or punishment

10. What is Reinforcement? • Reinforcement is a consequence (follows a behavior) • Reinforcement is anything that increases a behavior • Reinforcement can be getting good things (e.g., attention, toys, food) – positive reinforcement • Reinforcement can be delaying or making things go away (e.g., demands, bedtime, noisy toys) -negative reinforcement Activity

11. How is verbal behavior different? • In Verbal Behavior, reinforcement is mediated by another person • It is social • It involves more than one person, not just the person and the environment

12. “Behavior” versus “Verbal Behavior”

13. What about this example?

14. Skinner’s focus • Skinner focused on the development of expressive behaviors • Expressive behaviors involve the individual as SPEAKER

15. What do verbal behaviors look like? • Forms of verbal behavior may include: • Gestures (Pointing, sign language) • Say the word • Exchange a picture • Use a computer/voice output device (iPad, etc.) • Writing a word • Challenging behaviors: whine, cry, hit, kick, laying on the floor, pulling own hair, etc.

16. Why are communication skills important? • Interaction with social environment • Communicating basic needs/wants • Developing friendships/maintaining relationships • Core deficit in all people with PDD/Autism • Majority of challenging behaviors stem from deficit in communication skills

17. Why is a Verbal Behavior approach important for children with communication delays? • Theory • Tool for analysis • What’s working • What’s not working • Implications for teaching • Related to core deficits • Emphasis on environment • Focus on Function

18. What do we mean by function? • What determines or controls the response or behavior? • What is the antecedent? • What is the consequence? • What is the form of the response?

19. Basic expressive (verbal) behaviors • What controls the speaker’s response • Echoic: (verbal imitation) – matches what the person hears • Mand: (request) specifies what the person wants • Tact: (label) communicates what the person sees, hears, tastes, smells • Intraverbal – responds to what person hears & does not match

21. The Echoic • Repeating what you hear • Verbal imitation • Important when learning new verbal behavior • Helps people fine tune pronunciation by repeating and trying to match what they hear • Very important in teaching other verbal behaviors • Generally reinforced by praise

22. The MAND: Ask Nicely! • A mand is a verbal behavior (communication) that specifically REQUESTS or REJECTS. • Mands are controlled by antecedents and consequences. • The item/activity, attention, or escape is the REINFORCER • Your child is the “SPEAKER” and you are the “LISTENER”/the one who provides the reinforcer AntecedentBehaviorConsequence Child wants juice Says “Juice” Parent gives child Parent has juicejuice AntecedentBehaviorConsequence Child doesn’t want Child screams Delays taking a bath to take a bath

23. Ask Nicely! • Teaching appropriate Mands • Determine the best way for your child (words, pictures, sign, etc.) • Set up opportunities for your child to practice • Capture naturally occurring opportunities AntecedentBehaviorConsequence SEE IT SAY IT GET IT! SEE IT Don’t say it Don’t get it

24. Ask Nicely! • Teaching appropriate Mands • Motivation to Mand • Deprivation: the amount of time your child has gone without a reinforcer is a power influence on the mand • Your child will try harder to get the reinforcer • Behaviors related to the reinforcer are likely to be increased (i.e., what has worked in the past)

25. Ask Nicely! • Teaching new Mands • Your child may not know the name of what s/he wants • A. When your child shows interest (reach, approach), say the name of what s/he wants, but don’t give • B. Your child repeats you (or approximates) • C. You give your child what s/he wants After time/practice, don’t say the word

26. Ask Nicely! • Teaching new Mands • Your child cannot say the name of what s/he wants: • Accept approximations in the beginning, gradually accept the full word • Match words/sounds they can say with the things they like (i.e., can say “Bah” and likes “Balls”) • Any appropriate attempt is more acceptable than a challenging behavior • Start with an easier form such as pictures (PECS) to get the communication ball rolling

27. Ask Nicely! • Advancing the Mand • Items present (see it, say it, get it) • Items not present (think about then ask) • Request w/ a sentence (I want__) • Request attention • Request help • Request for others to do some action • Request with adjectives (I want BIG cookie) • Request info using WH: where, when, why, what • Request with prepositions (give me ball BEHIND you)

28. The TACT: What’s that? • Labels a sensory experience • Expressive label for something we see, hear, smell, taste, or feel • Generally reinforced by attention from others (i.e., “That’s right it is a car!”)

29. Advancing the TACT • Carrier phrase (It’s a/that’s a __) • Label w/ Adjectives (“I see a small red car”) • Prepositions (“There’s a cat under the car!” • Verb-noun, Noun-Verb (“The cat is running!”) • Function, features, class • “That bus drives me to school” • “No, the guy with the hat” • “This looks weird, but it’s food”

30. Intraverbals • Responding to the verbal behavior of others • Does not resemble anything the other person said (not repeating, elaborating on a label), but is contextually related • Talking about things that are not physically present

31. Intraverbals • Fill-in the blanks (“happy and you know it clap your ___” • Answering WH questions: who, what, why, when, where, how • Describing events from the past

32. Teaching Verbal Behaviors • Student initiated opportunities • Teacher initiated opportunities • Prompting and fading assistance

33. Student initiated opportunities • Child directs his/her attention towards item, activity, or event • “Shows interest” (approach behaviors) • Teacher intervenes, identifies learning opportunity (captures) capitalizes on motivation • Ambulance drives by with siren- student looks at ambulance (never seen before)- teacher says “that’s an ambulance” – student repeats “ambulance”- teacher says “that’s right it is an ambulance!”

34. Teacher initiated opportunity • Teacher contrives opportunity for student to practice communication skills • Arranges environment ahead of time • Predetermined pack of flash cards • Possession of snack during snack time

35. Prompting and Fading What are prompts? • Additional stimuli that increase the likelihood that a particular behavior will occur. • Prompts facilitate all types of responses to include verbal, non-verbal, written, motoric

36. Where Prompts Fit In Prompt Antecedent (Sd) Behavior Consequence

37. Why prompt? • Errorless learning: Arranges SDs and prompts to evoke only correct responses = Learner is coming into contact with reinforcement 100% of learning opportunities

38. Why prompt?... Skill acquisition • Learners need assistance in knowing HOW, WHEN, and WHAT to respond to in the environment • Prompted responses => correct responses • Correct responses = reinforced responses • Responses reinforced are MORE likely to be repeated in the FUTURE

39. Types of prompts for verbal behaviors • Model • Say what student should say • Demonstrate how student should sign • Physical • Help student use PECS or make correct sign • Visual cue • Picture/item • Text (script)

40. Teaching the Tact • Label everything for your students • During play • Praise when they can say the name “What is this?” “What do you see?” “This is a ___?” “Tell what you hear”

41. Teaching Intraverbals • Ask question, immediately model correct response • TS: “What’s your name? BRIAN” • SS: “Brian” • TS: “That’s right you ARE Brian!” • TACT to INTRAVERBAL TRANSFER Ask student question, immediately show item/picture • TS: “What do you write with?” (shows pencil) • SS: “Pencil” • TS: “What do you write with?” (hides pencil behind back) • SS: “Pencil” • TS: “You DO write with a pencil!”

42. Contriving opportunities • Time delay/restricted access: preferred items or activities are present, but access is delayed until a request occurs • Blocked/interrupted activity: a response is blocked momentarily or an ongoing activity is interrupted (standing in front of the door on the way to go outside) • Missing item: action cannot be initiated due to a missing tool (food but no fork/spoon; empty bowl; coloring book but no crayons)

43. Contriving opportunities (cont • Delayed assistance: no help is provided until a request occurs • Incomplete presentation: given a puzzle with missing pieces • Wrong-item: Student needs a spoon but is given a knife • Chaining mands: all the steps necessary to completing a task are blocked

44. How do we know where to begin teaching? • Assessment tools • VB-Mapp • ABLLS-R

45. Activity 1: Teach the Mand • Put something on the table • As your partner reaches for it, grab it • Say its name. ex: “phone” • When your partner says “phone” give it to him/her • If s/he doesn’t say it, don’t give, repeat it • If s/he says “phone” give phone

46. Activity 2: Teach the TACT • Point to something/someone, and say its name. ex: “Look, MS. AMBIKA!” • When your partner repeats you, say “It is Ms. Ambika!” with enthusiasm

47. Activity 3: Teach INTRAVERBAL • A) • Ask your partner’s name and say their name right away. Ex: “What’s your name? Mr. REGAN” • When your partner says his/her name, say “you are Mr. Regan!” with enthusiasm • B) Tact transfer • Hold something in front of your partner • Ask him/her to name it by giving its FUNCTION Ex: “what do you call mommy with?” Partner will label what s/he sees “PHONE” • Ask the question again with the item behind your back • If s/he gives the item name say “that’s right, you DO call mommy with a phone!” with enthusiasm

48. Resources to enhance your weekend • Websites • http://www.christinaburkaba.com/AVB.htm • https://www.establishingoperationsinc.com • Books • How to Teach Verbal Behavior (Pro-ed Series on Autism Spectrum Disorders) by Peter Sturmey (Jun 30, 2008) • The Verbal Behavior Approach: How to Teach Children With Autism and Related Disorders by Mary Barbera and Tracy Rasmussen (May 15, 2007