Wednesday, March 2, 2022
About this video
Presented by: Alice Shillingsburg, BCBA-D
Description: Approximately 30% of individuals diagnosed with autism fail to develop vocal communication. For these individuals, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems such as manual signs, picture exchange communication system (PECS), and speech generating devices (SGD) are often used. Numerous studies have shown the effectiveness of selection-based pictorial systems to promote functional communication.
With the increased affordability and accessibility of mobile devices, the demand for high-tech SGDs by parents to use for communication has also increased. Resources now exist to aid clinicians in transitioning from picture communication systems to high-tech SGDs. However, there is a dearth of research on strategies to teach advanced verbal behavior using SGDs. This presentation will cover a series of studies examining procedures to teach mands for information, intraverbals to report past behaviors, and tacts of noun-verb combinations to non-vocal children with autism. Considerations and complications when teaching these skills using high-tech SGDs will be discussed. If an individualized, intensive verbal behavior program is developed and implemented it could be a NeMTSS Tier 3 support. For more information on NeMTSS visit https://nemtss.unl.edu/about/.