1. MANDING How to capture and contrive motivation
Who is in the audience?
Who works with vocal learners / non-vocal learners?
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

2. OBJECTIVES Define mand Explain the benefits of teaching manding first
Describe how deprivation / satiation effects motivation
Describe how motivative operations (MOs)
can be used and manipulated to teach
language
In addition:
Explanation of prompt and prompt-fade procedures
when teaching manding vocally or in sign language
Description of rules for manding
How to track progress and collect data
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

3. Mand A mand is asking for the things that you
want and is strengthened by getting them
There is a tendency to say “juice" when you want it, and you get it
Manding is what teaches the learner that talking or signing is useful
Mand can be: a deMAND or a coMAND, a request for items, actions, information (questions).
Verbal behavior which primarily reinforces the speaker
A mand is a verbal operant maintained by a characteristic reinforcer and is evoked by the establishing operation for that reinforcer (Skinner, 1957)
A common deficiency in the verbal repertoires of individuals with autism and related disorders is the absence of socially appropriate vocal mands.
The vocal mand repertoires of these individuals may be lacking in several respects:
The individual might engage in no mands whatsoever,
(b) the mand might be topographically dissimilar to an appropriate
response
(c) the mand might be only partially topographically similar to an appropriate
(d) the mand might occur only after prompting.
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

4. Mand Manding is the first repertoire learned by all children:
Children cry when they are hungry and as a result they receive food. Eventually the child learns to say words to ask for different things which are reinforcing.
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

5. Mand I want cookie Can I have a cookie?
Signs “cookie” during snack time (hungry)
Do you like cookies?
This is a cookie (points to picture card)
Points to cookie and vocalizes “c” during snack (hungry)
Looks in a jar “cookies are all gone”
Activity: identify mands
This is a cookie = not a mand = label/tact
Activity: develop list of mands
Water, open, slide, apple, car, read
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

6. Mand
Learners with developmental delays tend to develop mands that are maladaptive (SIB, screaming, tantrums, etc)
By teaching a mand repertoire (vocal or sign) you may replace many problem behaviors
The individual might engage in no mands whatsoever,
(b) the mand might be topographically dissimilar to an appropriate
response
Video: Carter manding for “video”
Common situation:
Child wants something but can’t ask for it > engaged in maladaptive mands:
Crying, grinding teeth, rolling on the floor, etc
Parents > begin looking for “good stuff” and offering choice
Child continues to cry until the right item is offered
What happens in the future?
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

7. Motivation Mands occur when Motivating Operation (MO) is strong
When hungry > want food
When tired > want escape
Talking is more easily acquired and occurs more often when the motivation is strong for desired items, objects or activities
Contriving motivation results in a greater number of mands per day, thus more opportunities to develop language
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

8. Motivation
MO is a condition of deprivation or satiation which momentarily increases or decreases the value of some reinforcer
Being deprived of a favorite reinforcer for a period of time increases the desire for that reinforcer
SATIATION
Satiation affects all reinforcers. The level of motivation for favorite videos, toys, activities, etc., can and does change frequently
Example:
Child likes dancing Elmo and had it for few weeks > motivation is starting to decrease. Batteries die and Elmo does not dance any more for few days / weeks until parents can buy new batteries. What happens to MO after few days/weeks?
How to keep motivation?
Suggestion: Rotate all preferred items / toys. Do not have all the toys out allowing access to everything.
Idea: organize in bins by days of the week
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

9. Teaching Manding
Begin mand training by using learner’s most powerful positive reinforcers
Reinforcement Assessment Form
Reinforcers to use for manding:
can be delivered in small amounts and multiple times
go away by itself
better with you than without you
Activity: selecting mands to teach
Review Reinforcement Assessment Form and generate a list of mands you would like to teach your learner
Narrow down the list based on the criteria (delivered in small amounts, go away by itself, better with you)
Select a toy from the collection provided and decide what mand is going to be taught.
Use toy for later practice (prompt / prompt fading)
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

10. Teaching Manding
Mand training should be taught extensively with early learners
500 – 700 mands per day
Manding many items for which motivation has been captured leads to improvement in vocalizations
mands per day? Too many!
Average per 2 hours session, if 2 sessions > ~400 + ~ with parents in the evening
Video: Alex manding “playdoh”
Alex’s response strengthens as he has many opportunities to practice.
Playdoh: cam be delivered in small amounts > increased number of mands
Note: Shaping eye contact
Eye contact can be taught thru mand training (speaker eye contact)
Mand + look = R+
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

11. Sequence of Manding for Early Learner
F1 Indicates by pulling
F2 Asks for a reinforcer when it is present and vocal or sign prompt is given
F3 Asks for a reinforcer when reinforcer is present (no prompt)
F5 Asks for a reinforcer spontaneously
Do not teach F4 (spontaneity blocker)
Example: refer back to video: Alex manding for playdoh
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

12. Sequence of Manding for Intermediate Learner
F6 Asks others to perform actions
F7 Requests attention
F8 Requests missing items needed for a task
F9 Requests using yes/no
F10 Requests using carrier phrases
F11 Requests help
F12 Requests others to remove item / stop
F6 Video: Michael at GABA manding “push me” with peers
F7 Video: Victor playing “wash dishes” with Anna and Artika
F8 Video: Mencius manding for missing item “bath” when playing playdoh
F11 Video: Michael at GABA manding for “help” to wind the bus
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

13. Sequence of Manding for Advanced Learner
F13 – F27
Requests information
Video: Andrew asking questions when playing with Fun Park
How to create opportunities for a child to ask questions?
This information will be covered during “Teaching Advanced Learners”
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

14. Creating Opportunities…
Limited access:
Place preferred items out of reach: up on the shelf, inside the plastic container, etc
Video:
Clause on the slide
Tracy playing with Tubbies
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

15. Creating Opportunities…
Choice:
Ask the learner to choose between two or more preferred items or activities
Video:
Blake playing Bowling
Carter choosing video
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

16. CREATING OPPORTUNITIES …
Interruption:
Interrupt ongoing activity in a playful way. Ask the learner to mand in order to continue the activity.
Video:
Anton doing mouse dance
Arshia on the horse
Alex with spin top
Douglas requesting “up”
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

17. Creating Opportunities…
Incomplete activities:
Ask the learner to mand for missing items needed for the activity
Video:
Victor requesting for missing inkpad when playing with stamps
Practice: using selected toy, determine which strategy you will be using to teach child to mand: limit access, choice, interrupt, incomplete activity?
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

18. Expanding Opportunities Chaining
Reinforcer = apple sauce
Closed jar > “open”
Empty bowl > “apple sauce” / “pour in”
Bowl, apple sauce,… > “spoon”
Video:
Alex playing with marbles
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

19. Expanding Opportunities..
Show the learner new ways to have fun
playing with toys!
Mand training should always be fun
Video:
Anton in the egg chair: boo, knock-knock, ready-set-go, shake
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

20. Rules For Teaching Manding
Teaching must occur in the natural and everyday
environment where the motivation is typically strong.
Motivation will change from moment to moment, day to day, week to week, etc. so it will be important to be flexible so that you teach manding at a time when the motivation is greatest.
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

21. Rules For Teaching Manding
Prompt mands initially to teach the child that it is easy to get things with verbal behavior and so as to not turn the child off to communicating by requiring a difficult response at first.
Get the best quality response with the least amount of prompting.
Review “Prompt and prompt fading procedures”
Video: Michael manding “go”
Watch for prompt fading
Practice: use the toy selected to teach a mand following appropriate prompt sequence.
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

22. Rules For Teaching Manding
Practice teaching mands so that your are skilled in:
How and when to reinforce
What approximations to accept
What level of prompt to provide
How to fade the prompts as quickly as possible.
Problem: scrolling
Occurs in the initial stage of mand training
Child scrolls thru all known mands to get a desired item:
Wants cookie, says / signs: chip, juice…COOKIE
Do not allow the child to engage in scrolling: will teach chain responses
Follow “prompt and prompt fading procedures”
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

23. Rules For Teaching Manding
Consistency across trainers is essential
Ex: “ball” vs “red” vs “circle”
Select “item specific” mands
Ex: “more” vs “bubble”
Be a “giver”, not a “taker”
Consistency example: “hit the ball with a hammer” toy
mand: color, ball, circle
Suggestion: place labels on toys with the appropriate mand
Being a giver:
Taker: child asks for juice, instructor gives bottle of juice, lets the child take one drink, and takes it back
Giver: child asks for juice, instructor pours little bit of juice in a cup, child drinks it, instructor pours more juice
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

24. Common Mistakes What do you want? Killing MO Loosing the lead
Not fading the prompt
What do you want = spontaneity blocker
Killing MO = requiring difficult response
Loosing the lead =following own agenda
Not fading the prompt = prompt dependency, no spontaneous requests
Video:
Loosing the lead (Arshia playing bee)
What do you want (Clause eating fish crackers)
Anna Matchneva, BCABA

25. DATA Record prompt level Count prompted vs spontaneous mands Graph
Prompt level data (target form)
Prompt level data (activity form)
Graph: prompted vs spontaneous
Mand tracking form
Anna Matchneva, BCABA