Using Instructive Feedback to Increase Response Variability During Intraverbal Training for Children with Autism...

Area of Science:

• Behavioral psychology
• Developmental psychology
• Clinical psychology

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by challenges in social communication and interaction.
• Intraverbal behavior, the ability to speak about objects or events not present, is a critical verbal skill for individuals with ASD.
• Enhancing response variability in intraverbal tasks is crucial for more flexible and generalized communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of instructive feedback on the variability of intraverbal responses in children with ASD.
• To compare the frequency of novel responses and response combinations with and without instructive feedback.

Main Methods:

• An adapted alternating treatments design was employed to compare conditions.
• Instructive feedback involved a therapist modeling response variability during the consequence event of learning trials.
• Two children diagnosed with ASD participated in an intraverbal category program.

Main Results:

• Participants demonstrated a higher frequency of novel response combinations during conditions with instructive feedback.
• Instructive feedback appeared to facilitate more varied intraverbal responding.

Conclusions:

• Instructive feedback is an effective strategy for increasing response variability in intraverbal behavior for children with ASD.
• This finding has significant clinical implications for speech-language pathology interventions targeting communication in ASD.
• Future research should explore the long-term effects and generalizability of this intervention.