Implementing an Abbreviated Assessment to Compare Error-Correction Procedures for Teaching Intraverbal Behavior to Children
Abstract
Young children with Autism (ASD) often have difficulty responding appropriately
to questions asked by their peers, parents, or teachers. Teaching intraverbal
behavior using Discrete Trial Instruction (DTI) has shown effective results with the
use of specific stimulus-transfer procedures (e.g., vocal, textual, or pictures).
Previous research has suggested using an abbreviated assessment for error
correction procedures as a tool to determine the most effective and efficient
procedures when teaching children. In addition, such tools have been shown to not
only be effective at predicting a child’s most effective error-correction, but also in
less time, allowing practitioners to make data-based decisions and individualize
programming across learners. The present study seeks to add and extend to the
current literature on error correction assessments for teaching intraverbal behavior
(i.e., answering questions). The three experimental conditions included vocal
modeling, single response repetition, multiple-response repetition, compared with a control condition. Results showed correspondence between the abbreviated
assessment and validation assessment for 1 of 3 participants. Findings suggest that
a brief assessment may be useful for practitioners when trying to find the most
effective and efficient error-correction procedure.