Abstract
Echolalia is common in children with autism and may interfere with the development of functional language. Given the variety of vocal stimuli included in teaching language to children with autism, it is possible that discrimination between instructions and targeted responses may not always occur. Thus, children may engage in very high rates of echolalia during language training because it is unclear which vocalizations produced by an instructor should be echoed. The cues-pause-point (CPP) procedure has been effective in decreasing echolalia and increasing specific correct responses to unknown questions in adults with intellectual disability. The current investigation applied the CPP procedure to the echoic repertoire with 1 child with autism who consistently echoed the instruction “say” during language training. Results indicated that echolalia of the instruction “say” decreased, and correct responding of the targeted vocalization increased for all targeted words. Implications for the use of the procedure in educational settings are discussed, and areas for future research are provided.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Esch, B. E. (2008). Early echoic skills assessment. In M. L. Sundberg (Ed.), The verbal behavior milestones assessment and placement program (VB-MAPP): A language and social skills assessment program for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. Concord, CA: AVB Press.
Foxx, R. M., & Faw, G. D. (1990). Long-term follow up of echolalia and question answering. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 23, 387–396.
Foxx, R. M., Faw, G. D., McMorrow, M. J., Kyle, M. S., & Bittle, R. G. (1988). Replacing maladaptive speech with verbal labeling responses: An analysis of generalized responding. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 21, 411–417.
Graziano, A. M. (2002). Autistic spectrum disorders. In R. Pascal (Ed.), Developmental disabilities: An introduction to a diverse field (pp. 263–298). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Horner, R. D., & Baer, D. M. (1978). Multiple-probe technique: A variation of the multiple baseline. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11, 189–196.
Leung, J., & Wu, K. (1997). Teaching receptive naming of Chinese characters by incorporating echolalia to children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 30, 59–67.
Love, J. R., Carr, J. E., Almason, S. M., & Petursdottir, A. I. (2009). Early and intensive behavioral intervention for autism: A survey of clinical practices. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 3, 421–428.
McMorrow, M. J., & Foxx, R. M. (1986). Some direct and generalized effects of replacing an autistic man’s echolalia with correct responses to questions. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 19, 289–297.
McMorrow, M. J., Foxx, R. M., Faw, G. D., & Bittle, R. G. (1987). Cues-pause-point language training: Teaching echolalics functional use of their verbal labeling repertoires. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 20, 11–22.
O’Donnell, J. (2001). The discriminative stimulus for punishment or SDp. The Behavior Analyst, 24, 261–262.
Pace, G. M., Ivancic, M. T., Edwards, G. L., Iwata, B. A., & Page, T. J. (1985). Assessment of stimulus preference and reinforcer value with profoundly retarded individuals. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 18(3), 249–255.
Partington, J. (2008). The assessment of basic language and learning skills—revised (the ABLLS-R): An assessment, curriculum guide, and skills tracking system for children with autism or other developmental disabilities. Pleasant Hill, CA: Behavior Analysts, Inc.
Sautter, R. A., LeBlanc, L. A., Jay, A. A., Goldsmith, T. R., & Carr, J. E. (2011). The role of problem solving in complex intraverbal repertoires. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44, 227–244.
Schreibman, L., & Carr, E. G. (1978). Elimination of echolalic responding to questions through the training of a generalized verbal response. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 11, 453–463.
Skinner, B. F. (1957). Verbal behavior. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Watkins, C. L., Pack-Teixeira, L., & Howard, J. S. (1989). Teaching intraverbal behavior to severely retarded children. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 7, 69–81.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Valentino, A.L., Shillingsburg, M.A., Conine, D.E. et al. Decreasing Echolalia of the Instruction “Say” During Echoic Training Through Use of the Cues-Pause-Point Procedure. J Behav Educ 21, 315–328 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-012-9155-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-012-9155-z