Teaching Communication to individuals with autism.txt

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Laura Ferguson, M.Ed., BCBA 

 

 

 
Teaching Communication to Individuals with Autism 



Kentucky Autism Training Center 


Participant Outcomes 


�Overview of Communication strategies 
�Ideas on ways to teach communication 



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�Qualitative impairment in COMMUNICATION, 
manifested by at least one of the following�: 


�Delay in or total lack of spoken language. 
�Impairment in ability to initiate or sustain 
conversation. 
�Stereotyped use of language. 
�Lack of make-believe play 



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Communication and Autism 


�Deficits in nonverbal communication is one of 
the earliest signs of the disorder 
�Deficits in vocal communication often the first 
symptom noted by others 



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Communication and Autism 


�Importance of communication as a foundation 
for the development of social, play, academic 
behaviors, etc. 
�Importance of appropriate communication to 
replace or prevent the development of 
inappropriate communicative behaviors such 
as tantrums, SIB, aggression 



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 Modes of communication 



Topography Based 

�Involves producing a unique response form for each word 


 

�Examples: 
�Vocalizations 
�Sign language 





 


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 Modes of communication 



Selection Based 

�Involves scanning an array of pictures, words or symbols and 
selecting one via point/touch 
�Examples: 
�PECS 
�Dynavox 
�Go Talker 
�Intellikeys 





 


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 Communication 


 


It is important that the communication we teach 
is: 

Motivating 

Functional 


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 Motivation 



�If the words, signs, or pictures we attempt to 
teach are not motivating to the child it will be 
difficult for them to acquire the word. 



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 Mand 


�Type of verbal operant in which a speaker asks 
(or states, demands, inquires, etc.) what he 
needs or wants. 
�Example: asking for a shoe when you want a shoe. 
�Asking for a gummy bear when you want a gummy 
bear 
�Asking someone to stop tickling you when you want 
them to stop tickling 



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 Mand Training 



�Mands are the first verbal operant acquired by 
by a human child. 
�They usually occur in the form of crying when 
a child is hungry, tired, in pain, cold, wants toy, 
afraid, etc. 
�Typically developing children quickly learn to 
replace crying 


 (Cooper and Heron, 2007) 


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Mand Training 


�Manding not only lets children control the 
delivery of reinforcers, but it begins to 
establish the speaker and listener roles that 
are essential for further verbal development. 
�Manding is the only type of verbal behavior 
that benefits the speaker. 
�Meaning the mand gets the speaker 
reinforcers. 


 (Cooper and Heron, 2007) 


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 Mand Training 



�It is important that mand training occurs 
throughout the day for individuals on the 
autism spectrum. 
�This will include contriving situations and 
providing opportunities for these mands to 
occur. 



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 Contriving Manding Opportunities 



�For example, Mickey loves vacuums and 
everyday after school he rushes to the hall 
closet to look at the vacuum. 
�To contrive a mand for the vacuum you place 
the vacuum in another location. When he 
arrives prompt the mand for vacuum. 



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 Contriving Manding Opportunities 



�Sally always comes into the playroom to grab 
the ball out of the toy box. You place the ball 
on the top shelf where Sally cannot reach it. 
�You have now contrived the opportunity for 
multiple mand responses. 


Examples; help, ball, where is it, which shelf,etc. 


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 Pivotal Response Training 


�Procedures made to help �increase 
motivation, and promote generalization� using 
naturalistic and loose training techniques 



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 Pivotal Response Training 


�Reinforcement of approximations/ attempts 
�Reinforcement has a specific relationship to 
the desired behavior natural reinforcement 
("ball" gets ball, not praise. Child chooses 
object for instruction and that object is used. 
This is done to increase motivation) 



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 Pivotal Response Training 


�Motivation Child Attention 
�Child Choice Reinforce Attempts Direct 
Reinforcement Intersperse Maintenance Tasks 
Shared Control (Turn Taking) 
�Responsivity Tasks Involve Simultaneous 
Multiple Cues 



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 Sign Language 



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Teaching sign language to children with autism can 
serve the purpose of functionally replacing other 
disruptive behaviors such as aggression 

 

Teaching a child with autism to communicate using sign 
language may be an easier transition to vocal 
communication 



 Advantages of Sign Language 



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�May help to develop motor imitation 
�Stimulus & response often resemble each other, 
providing a built in prompt 
�Topography based, like speech 
�Single stimulus and single response relation, like 
speech 
�Community of signers already exists 
�Can be used to teach all operants 


 



 Disadvantages of Sign Language 



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�Parents & teachers must learn the child�s signs 
�Parents & teachers need to use sign language when 
interacting with the child 
�Parents & teachers must teach/shape each individual 
sign 




 Begin Sign Training by teaching 
Mands 


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�Identify items and activities that are reinforcing for 
the learner 
�Select reinforcers that instructors can easily control 
and that provide many opportunities to mand 
(request) 
�Determine the manual sign for each of the 
reinforcers the child will learn to mand for 




 Selecting Mands 


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�Do NOT teach the following until the learner can 
mand for many items: 
�Yes/no 
�More 
�Finished 
�Please 
�Potty 
�Help 
�Eat 
�Drink 
�Help 
�Carrier phrases (�I want__.� �Give me__.�) 







 Why not teach these mands? 


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�These are generalized responses. 
�If a child is signing �more� it will be difficult for the 
the listener to understand and reinforce their 
request. 




 Picture Exchange Communication 
System (PECS) 


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�designed to teach functional communication with an 
initial focus on spontaneity 
�There are 6 phases 
�How to communicate 
�Distance and persistence 
�Picture discrimination 
�Sentence structure 
�Answering questions 
�Commenting 







 Picture Exchange Communication 
System (PECS) 


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 Picture Exchange Communication 
System (PECS) 


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�If PECS is chosen as the communication 
system it is important that the book is 
available throughout their day. 
�Make sure it is available at home, school, on 
the bus, etc. 
�This will increase use as well as initiation of 
communication 




 Advantages of PECS 


Each exchange is clearly intentional and readily 
understood. When a child hands you a picture or 
sentence strip, the request or comment is quickly 
determined 

 

Communication is initiated by the child 

 

Communication is meaningful and highly motivating 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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 Disadvantages of PECS 


Parents and educators must be trained 

 

After pictures and binders, it can get expensive 

 

In order for a child to request something, there must be 
a picture. Therefore, there must be pictures of almost 
everything in their environment 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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 In Summary 


One of the most important things we can teach 
individuals with autism is the ability to 
communicate. 

 

.Choose a communication system( or let them 
choose) 

.Be consistent 

.Have the communication available all the time 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


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Kentucky Autism Training Center 


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Thank you so much for coming!! 

 

 Questions?? 



Questions? 

 

Contact info: 

Laura Ferguson 

Laura.ferguson@louisville.edu 

 

 


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Center contact info: 

 

Telephone: (502) 852-4631 

Fax: (502) 852-7148 E-mail: katc @ louisville.edu 

https://louisville.edu/education/kyautismtraining 

 


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Kentucky Autism Training Center