There has been limited investigation of procedures for establishing echoic responses, so the purpose of this study was to compare various iterations of vocal imitation training, stimulus-stimulus pairing, and mand-model procedures. Preference assessments were conducted to identify highly preferred items, including edibles and tangible items. At least two sets of three target sounds were then selected for each participant. Data were collected on target vocalizations emitted during training sessions and during play sessions completed prior to and after training sessions. These data, in addition to the participants’ performance during probes assessing the function of their vocalizations, were compared to assess the efficacy of each teaching procedure. The results suggested that the most effective teaching procedure may differ across participants. In addition, data indicated that the mand-model procedure may be more likely to be effective when prompts are provided for both errors of commission and omission. Finally, data from the first few comparisons showed that play sessions completed prior to and post-training sessions may be unnecessary, at least in cases when establishing echoic responses is the priority. These data were presented at BABAT 2013, APBA 2014, ABAI 2014, BABAT 2014, & ABAI 2015.
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC)
Autism Research Database (AFD)
