Functional Communication

  1. For students who use communication symbol-boards, assess equivalence classes and categories with symbol sets (Meyer-Johnson symbols, photographs from the student's environment, etc.)
  2. For reinforcer-related objects, pictures, symbols, and printed words, verify stimulus-reinforcer equivalences with outcome-specific reinforcement procedures (e.g., Dube & McIlvane, 1995)
  3. Establish stimulus control and response frames for tacts ("That is ---") and mands ("I want ---")
  4. As necessary, encourage new communication skills by embedding in structured routines (e.g., Stromer et al., 1996)

Previous curriculum unit: Establishing Behavior Sequences

Next curriculum unit: Programming for Generalization

References

Dube, W. V. & McIlvane, W. J. (1995). Stimulus-reinforcer relations and emergent matching to sample. The Psychological Record, 45, 591-612. Summary

Stromer R., Mackay H.A., Howell S.R., McVay A.A., & Flusser D. (1996). Teaching computer-based spelling to individuals with developmental and hearing disabilities: Transfer of stimulus control to writing tasks. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 29, 25-42.