PPCD, AVLS, FLS
Carin Renee Thompson M.Ed., BCBA
3/23/10
1.
2.
3.
4.
Socially Mediated Positive Reinforcement
(+) – Trying to get it –People Around
Socially Mediated Negative
Reinforcement(-) – Trying to get away –
People Around
Automatic Positive Reinforcement(+) –
Trying to get it – Alone
Automatic Negative Reinforcement(-) –
Trying to get away-Alone
Movements or activities of your body when
alone that produce a feeling that makes the
behavior that produced it more likely to
occur.
◦ Self-stimulatory sensations produced by behavior
The withdrawal of something (such as an
unpreferred demand) after a behavior that
makes the behavior more likely to occur.
What is the reinforcer?
◦ Escape or removal of unpreferred demands
◦ Avoidance or at least postponement of unpreferred
demands
Something that is delivered by another
person after behavior that makes the
behavior more likely to occur.
What is the reinforcer? Gaining:
◦ Attention
◦ Access to Preferred Activities
◦ Access to Preferred Tangible Items

Video Examples

All of the actions of a person that are
mediated (reinforced) by a response from
a listener who is specially trained to
respond to that person’s behavior (Skinner
1957)
Can be vocal, sign, giving a picture,
gestures.
A
Stimulus
Control
Motivating
Operation
MO/EO
B
Response
Language/
Behavior
C
Reinforcement
Punishment
Extinction
A
Motivating
Consequence
Operation/MO
Thirsty
drink,
quenched
B
Response/
C
Behavior
Person asks
for drink
Given
thirst
A
B
Stimulus Control
Response/
Consequence
C
Behavior
Red Light & asked
What do you do
reinforcement
at a Red Light?
Person says stop
Social
 Mand
– asking for what you
want; Saying cookie because
you want cookie (request)
 Tact – Naming or identifying
objects, actions or events;
Saying cookie because you see
a cookie (Label)



Intraverbal –Answering questions in
which words are controlled by other
words; Saying cookie because someone
says “What is your favorite dessert?”
(conversation)
Echoic– Repeating what is heard; Saying
cookie because someone else says
cookie (vocal imitation)
Listener Response – Following the
directions by another person; Touching a
picture of a cat when told to do so
(Receptive Language)
Antecedent
Verbal Behavior
Controlling
Reinforcement
Motivating
Operation/Mo
Mand
MO met/abated
Stimulus Condition
Tact
Social
Reinforcement/Joint
Attention
Stimulus Condition –
Verbal stimulus only
Intraverbal
Social
Reinforcement/Joint
Attention
Stimulus Condition –
Verbal
Stimulus Only
Echoic
Social Reinforcement
Stimulus Condition –
must have verbal
may have nonverbal
Listener Response
Social Reinforcement
must have nonverbal
stimulus
Mand
Tact
Intraverbal
Cookie
Echoic
Listener Response/
Receptive
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

Form of the response is controlled by
motivation (needs and wants).
Is a response that is typically followed by
a specific type of consequence.
Responses commonly called demands,
commands, and reprimands, usually fits
the definition of a mand and the
classification is derived form those terms
Antecedent
Students
sees water
bottle or is
thirsty
Behavior
Consequence
Student asks Teacher delivers
for Water
water to student
(using sign,
vocal,
picture etc.)
1.
Manding is the first repertoire learned
by all children.
•
•
2.
Crying functions for babies to gain access to
desired items (i.e. food, clean diaper).
As children develop, their environment
teaches them that vocalizations are more
efficient.
Manding is the only verbal behavior
that immediately benefits the “speaker.”
•
•
“I get exactly what I want.”
Other repertoires receive secondary
reinforcement (i.e. social).
6.
7.
It is unlikely that you will be able to
develop a verbal behavior repertoire in
an early learner by just requiring the
child to label items or talk about things.
By teaching a mand repertoire you may
replace many problem behaviors.
8.
9.
It is imperative that you begin teaching
the child to ask for his or her strongest
reinforcers.
In addition, teach mands at times when
the motivation is the greatest for the
item or activity.
Manding is verbal behavior that is initiated
by the child. Other repertoires are
responses to another’s verbal behavior.
3.
4.
•
•
5.
Manding teaches a child that verbal
behavior is valuable.
“My life is better when I communicate; I get things
that I want.”
Other repertoires teach what to say once the
learner “wants to talk.”
Development of a strong manding
repertoire may be essential for the
development of all other types of verbal
behavior.
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
Teaching must occur in the natural,
everyday environment where motivation
is strong (NET).
Make sure the child has a motivation for
an item before prompting a mand.


Prompt mands initially to teach the child
that it’s easy to get things with verbal
behavior, so as to not turn the child off
to communicating.
Get the best quality response with the
least amount of prompting.


Practice teaching mands so that you are
skilled in how and when to reinforce,
what approximations to accept, what
level of prompt to provide and how to
fade (back off) prompts quickly.
Consistency in methods across trainers is
essential, as well as contriving lots of
opportunities for generalization.
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
Capture and contrive as many
opportunities as possible per day to
teach mands.
Be a “giver” and not a “taker.”
Avoid “killing” MOs - to prevent this give
some items for “free” or require less
response effort at times.
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

Capture and contrive as many
opportunities as possible per day to
teach mands.
Be a “giver” and not a “taker.”
Avoid “killing” MOs - to prevent this give
some items for “free” or require less
response effort at times.
1.
2.
a)
b)
Learner signals motivation for item
Instructor teaches the vocal mand:
Model the name of the item 3-5 times
as you deliver it. (Automatic
Reinforcement)
Teach the learner “I talk, I get”. If the
learner imitates the word at any time
during the trials –differentially reinforce
3.
4.
When the learner can echo the initial
trial with acceptable articulation fade
the echoic prompt.
Fade the item to its typical location in
the natural environment when feasible

Practice Vocal Manding with Partner

Refers to the error process in which a
learner cycles through all responses
which have led to reinforcement under
similar conditions. The learner will
produce a series of vocal words.

a)
b)
c)
d)
Error Correction Procedure -Vocal
Turn away, wait 2-3 seconds
Represent the item
Prompt Immediately
Fade prompts on subsequent trials if
possible

Oscar/Carlos Up
Down
1.
2.
3.
4.
Learner Signals Motivation
Model Sign – Prompt Sign – Deliver
Say the item name 3-5xs during
procedure/before delivery.
For some learners (low attending or
poor motor imitation) may need to skip
model and go directly to prompt.

a)
b)
c)
d)
Error Correction Procedure -Sign
Bring hands to a neutral position
Represent the item
Prompt Immediately
Fade prompts on subsequent trials if
possible
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List Opportunities
Chain Mands together
Transitive EO/MO Plan

Hannah Swing
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43

The Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) has
been used as a measure of the
sophistication of language development of
young children since the 1920’s.(Brown,
1973)
It has been thought to be an important
index of grammatical development up to the
ages of five or six.
At first Mean Length of Utterance (MLUw)
was calculated by computing an average of
the number of words per utterance within a
sample of about 100 utterances. (Parker &
Brorson, 2005)
The index was later changed to measure the
production of morphemes not merely words
(MLUm).
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44
Brown (1973) in his seminal work A First Language:
The Early Stages, suggested that instead of using
average number words, syllables or age for that
matter, to index language development it would be
more useful to measure the Mean Length of Utterance
in terms of morphemes (MLUm).
Morphemes are the smallest unit of language that
conveys meaning.
They can be both bound and unbound. For example in
the sentence:
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
She wanted the red grapes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
There are 7 morphemes in this sentence. There are
5unbound morphemes corresponding to each word
and 2 bound morphemes that are shown in blue and
underlined.
Note that the bound morphemes can not be said alone
and still convey meaning to a listener.
She wanted the red grapes
 This sentence contains complex
language and meaning, including
conveying past tense and more then one
grape to the listener
 Brown concluded that MLUm is “an
excellent simple index of grammatical
development because every new kind of
knowledge increases length…” (1973,
p.53)

Brown used this index for measuring
language development for children up to
age 5 or 6. Past this, MLUm loses its
value in measuring knowledge and
complexity. Context and type of
interaction used then to determine the
complexity.
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Brown’s (1973) research culminated in the
development of a five (5) stage framework
to understand typical language development
according to the rules of grammar related to
syntax and morphology.
Each stage is referenced to MLUm as the
index of the progression of language
complexity through morpheme combining.
Brown identified 14 different obligatory
grammatical morphemes that he used as
markers of the progression of language
complexity across his stages 2-5.
Some examples are “in” as a preposition,
plurals, past tense, possessives,
contractions, articles, etc.
Stage 1: 15-30 Months
MLU 1.75 (Two Word Stage after 50-60
single word utterances)
Examples: birdie go; daddy car; give ball; water hot
Stage 2: 28-36 Months MLU 2.25
Examples: Bound and unbound Morphemes- falling (“ing” endings
on words); in box; birdie on head; cars (regular plurals)
Stage 3: 36-42 Months MLU 2.75
Examples: mommy’s hat (s possessive); Is she coming? (verb to be);
not a ball (negation)
Stage 4: 40-46 Months MLU 3.50
Examples: the book (articles); she jumped (regular past tense)
Stage 5: 42-53 Months MLU 4.00
Examples: he does (third person irregular); They’re here
(contractions)
Brown’s Stage 1 – shows that children’s
words are mostly objects, actions, and
people in the environment. They are
content words usually in the order :
Agent -Action: Mommy Go
Agent -Object: Blue Ball
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
So it is not until stage 2( 2 ½ - 3 years)
before a child begins to add
function/grammatical meanings to their
speech.
Children do not start to use articles,
conjunctions, past tense, and pluralities
until at least age 3.

Using Brown’s research on Language
development in conjunction with Verbal
Behavior Analysis research, they provide
a guide for our instructional decisions to
teach student’s language that is
appropriate to their current level of
functioning, not current age.
Verbal Behavior is behavior that is
reinforced through the actions of another
person (Skinner, 1957)
 Some behaviors act on the physical
world; verbal behavior acts on the social
world.
Stopping at a stop light versus naming the
stop light or Getting a drink versus
asking for the drink
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Skinner’s analysis provides an
explanatory guide for the development
of language through Brown’s 5 stages
using the primary operants
Vocal behavior is movements of the vocal
musculature that produce acoustic
stimuli that affect a listener in a special
way so as to produce reinforcement for
the speaker. Just the same as signing is
movements of skeletal musculature that
produces visual stimuli that affect a
listener in a special way to produce
reinforcement for the speaker
Remember Vocal does not equal Verbal
Pair with
Reinforcement
 Errorless
Teaching
 Variable Ratio
 Mix and Vary

Intersperse
Easy and Hard
 Short ITI
 Fluency
 Most to Least
Prompts

1. Pair Teaching Environments With
Reinforcement and Use Competing
Reinforcers
Initially, correlate the teaching
environment with highly valuable and
high-density reinforcement relative to the
conditions that have typically been
interrupted at the start of teaching
sessions
With some learners it will not be possible
to reduce the problem behavior and
teach quick and correct responding
without removing the reinforcement for
the problem behavior that sometimes
occurs.
3. Reduce Learner Errors
Reduce student errors through teaching
methods that insure high levels of correct
responding.
These procedures will lower the
value of escape-established reinforcement
and
will insure that instructional demands are
correlated with an improving of conditions
relative to a worsening of conditions that
results from frequent errors.
1.
2.
Use time delay prompt procedures where
prompts are antecedent to responding and
therefore are not consequences for incorrect
responses.
The time-delay extends from “0” second
delays to short duration of 2-3 seconds to
avoid errors and “a disparity in reinforcement
density inherent in delayed prompting (longer
intervals).” This procedure establishes a
higher density of reinforcement for quick and
correct responding that avoids the prompt
and a shorter delay in reinforcement relative
to other procedures.
4. Intersperse Easy And Difficult Demands
Interspersing “easy” tasks which result in
correct responding and therefore are
correlated with a higher density of
reinforcement with relatively more
“difficult” tasks will reduce problem
behavior by reducing the value of escape
as a reinforcer.
5. Pace Instruction Properly
1.
2.
Inter-trial intervals of about two
seconds or less seem to produce
maximal benefit with children with
autism.
Begin teaching with low frequency
demands so as to not evoke the
problem behavior, present easy
demands so that errors are reduced
and correct responding frequently
contacts reinforcement on a dense VR
schedule. Gradually increase the
response-reinforcer ratio similar to a
backward chain type of method.
6. Mix and Vary Instructional Demands
Presenting instructional demands in
which the stimuli and response
requirements vary from trial to trial
appear to reduce the value of escape as
a reinforcer compared to massed trialing
and constant task presentation.
7. Teach To Fluency
Teaching skills to fluency as opposed to just
correct decreases the value of escape as a
reinforcer relative to other reinforcers
available
for non-fluent responding. It appears that
students who learn to respond quickly and
accurately and not just accurately tend to
exhibit greater endurance for longer
duration
sessions without problem behavior.
8. Fade In Number of Demands
Present low frequency demands at first
and fade in greater and greater response
ration requirements. Deliver extinction for
problem behavior that occurs when the
EO was not manipulated precisely so as
to “abolish” problem behavior.
1.
Initially present instructional demands
at a frequency which does not raise the
value of escape and therefore correct
responses to the teacher delivered
instruction contacts positive
reinforcement frequently.
9. Fade In Effort/Difficulty Of Tasks
Insuring that the response being taught is
the most efficient will reduce the shift in
the value of reinforcement toward escape
and evoke problem behavior.
10. Immediately Deliver Reinforcement
Several studies have demonstrated the
need to deliver reinforcement
immediately for behaviors that replace
problem behaviors. Delays in the receipt
of reinforcement has been demonstrated
to be related to higher rates of problem
behavior when teaching new behaviors.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Present Sd with 0 sec. time delay
Present Sd with no prompt/ (2-3 second
time delay)
Distracter skill (Easy response)
Distracter skill (Easy response)
Represent Sd with 2-3 second time
delay

Teach Transfer Test (No Error)

Once an error has been made:
1. Represent Sd with 0 sec. time delay
2. Represent Sd with no prompt (2-3 second
time delay)
3. Distracter (Easy Skill)
4. Distracter (Easy Skill)
5. Represent Sd

Error Correction
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
Joint control is a behavior analytic description of
comprehension and memory.
Dr. Barry Lowenkron (the founder of the theory of
joint control) defines joint control as occurring
when a verbal response evoked by a sample
stimulus is preserved by a self-duplic and then
comes under the control of an additional
comparison stimulus which simultaneously evokes
a tact, textual, or intraverbal response (Lowenkron,
1997).
Put in layman’s terms, joint control explains how
people follow instructions by repeating part or all
of the instruction to themselves and then searching
out items or activities which match what they are
repeating and allow them to complete the
instruction.
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To find the sequence on the table, the sequence
“octagon, square, diamond, octagon, diamond” is
repeated over and over again (a “self-echoic”) then
the sequences in the table are scanned by naming
(“tacting”) the shapes in each sequence until one
sequence matches the sequence being repeated.
The joint control event is the moment when the
sequence you are repeating matches the sequence
you found in the table above.
That joint control event likely evoked responses in
you such as “There it is!”, “I found it!” or a nodding
of the head, or pointing to the sequence
(“autoclitics”).
Joint control also explains why it is difficult for
people who have limited “tacts,” “duplic,” and
“intraverbals” to develop more advanced receptive
repertoires.


Procedure- have student rehearse as an echoic (or
using sign) the items or steps he will need to
perform the task
Ex: Receptive ID, give 2 items in a field of 5
T- “Say, APPLE, BALL” (While pointing to self)
S- “APPLE, BALL” (Teacher is pointing to student)
T- “APPLE, BALL”
S- “APPLE, BALL”
T- Points to student
S- “APPLE, BALL
T- presents 5 picture cards in a messy array on the table
and says, “Give me the apple and the ball”.
◦ S- Gives pictures of apple and ball.
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◦
◦
◦
◦
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◦

Error Correction- If student gives 1 or gives
the items out of order.
◦ Remove all cards from the table
◦ Start rehearsal procedure over
◦ Represent cards


Many children with Autism have immediate
echolalia- repeating back words/phrases
immediately after hearing them or Delayed
Echolalia- repeating back words/ phrases
after a time delay
Before a treatment is prescribed, a
functional behavioral assessment and verbal
behavior assessment should be conducted
◦ Function could be for automatic positive
◦ Maladaptive manding
◦ Function as a result weak stimulus control (strong
echoic, weak or no intraverbal)

Treatment for immediate echolalia that is due
to disordered verbal behavior skills
◦ Focus on teaching manding and intraverbals

Rehearsal Technique
◦ Have student repeat back the word they will use as
mands or intraverbals several times with a point
prompt to cue when to speak. When they repeat
back the word just with your point prompt (selfechoic), transfer stimulus control to the mand or
intraverbal.

Ex: Teaching Intraverbal, “What is your
name?”
◦ T- Bill (while pointing to herself to represent her
turn to speak)
◦ L- Bill (points to learner to represent his turn to
speak)
◦ Repeat steps several times until teacher can just
point at the learner and he is saying “Bill”
◦ T- “What’s your name?” Points to learner
◦ L- “Bill”
◦ T- Reinforces

If child the child has good textual verbal
behavior (reading), you may also try a
textual prompt to teach intraverbals
◦ T- Shows flash card with the word “Bill” on it and
points to it.
◦ L- “Bill”
◦ T- “What’s your name?” Holds card up and points
to word “Bill”
◦ L- “Bill”
◦ T- “What’s your name?” (Hides card)
◦ L- “Bill”

Sign language may also serve as an
effective prompt to transfer stimulus
control from the echoic to the intraverbal
T- Signs and says “Bill”
L- Signs and says “Bill”
T- Signs “Bill”
L- Signs and says “Bill”
T- “What’s your name?” Signs Bill but does not
say it.
◦ L- Answers, “Bill” (with or with out sign)
◦ T- “What’s your name?” No sign
◦ L- “Bill”
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