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 basic needs 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)
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
Child wants juice Says “Juice” Parent gives child juice
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
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”C
Thirst
Get water from faucet
Drink water
Ask mom for water

13. What about this example?C
Thirst
Pull mom to sink and cry
Drink water

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
from 14% (17% listener responding) in 11/10 to 43% (6% LR).

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

20. “Great! I’ll find your mom Ben”C
Echoic
Parent says “Mommy”
“Mommy”
Parent says “Yeah! You said Mommy!”
Mand
Hungry, wants cracker
“Cracker”
Teacher gives cracker
Tact
Teacher asks “What color is this?”
“Blue”
Teacher says “That’s right it is blue!”
Intraverbal
Store security asks “What’s your name?”
“Ben”
“Great! I’ll find your mom Ben”

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! Antecedent Behavior Consequence
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
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
Child wants juice Says “Juice” Parent gives child
Parent has juice juice
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
Antecedent Behavior Consequence
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)
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
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
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