Teaching Conversational Skills to Children with Autism

1
Teaching Conversational Skills to Children with
Autism

• John L. Brown, Ph.D., BCBA
• Jennifer Ryan
• Eric Rozenblat
• REED Academy

2
Script Fading

• Script fading is an empirically validated
  procedure used to teach individuals to verbally
  engage in social interactions.

3
Script Fading

• Script fading teaches learners to use written or
  audio scripts.
• Scripts provide models of language that are
  appropriate to specific social situations.
• As learners learn to use the scripts they are
  faded from end to beginning.

4
Example

• A script such as Lets go to the park. could be
  faded in the following steps
• Lets go to the park.
• Lets go to the
• Lets go to
• Lets go
• Lets
• Removal of script card.

5
Three-Term Contingency
Antecedent Stimulus Script
Behavior (Response) Verbal Interaction
Consequence Motivational System
6
Fading

• Fading is a technique that is used to shift
  control of a response from one antecedent
  stimulus to another. (Cooper, Heron, Heward,
  1987, p. 314)
• In the case of script fading, control of a verbal
  response is being shifted from the control of the
  script to some other environmental stimulus.

7
Why Use Script Fading?

• To teach spontaneous social interaction.
• To reduce the use of instructor prompts in
  teaching social interaction.
• Why reduce instructor prompts?

8
Types of Scripts

• Written Scripts
• Language Master Cards
• Mini Me Recordings

9
Placement of Scripts

• When deciding where to place scripts consider how
  the learner will use the script.
• For example
• A script about a preferred toy could be placed on
  a picture of that toy.
• A script about soda may be placed on the
  refrigerator door.

10
Using Script-Fading Procedures

1. Development of Scripts
2. Pre-training Scripts
3. Teaching Script Use
4. Fading Scripts

11
Development of Scripts

• Use verbal responses that are of appropriate
  complexity for the learner.
• Use age-appropriate content.
• Determine the type of script,
• Determine the location for the script.
• Determine the SD for using the script.

12
Development of Scripts

• If scripts are taught in sets, attend to the
  initial word of each script.
• Include an opening and closing in each script.
• When using an augmentive communication system
  start scripts with a statement that indicates the
  use of the machine.

13
Pre-training

• Pre-train the use of the script until the learner
  demonstrates fluency in using the script.

14
Teaching

• Use graduated guidance delivered from behind the
  learner to prompt use of scripts.
• Replay the script if the learner does not imitate
  the script.
• Reinforce correct use of scripts.
• Attend to other aspects of social interaction
  (eye contact, loudness, etc.)

15
Fading Scripts

• Fade from the end to the beginning.
• Fade quickly.
• Be prepared to back-up if the learner does not
  imitate the full script.

16
How to Back-up the Fading Level

• Written Script
• Have a second card with the full script ready.
• Language Master Script
• Record the full script on the Teacher track.
• Mini-Me
• Use a second Mini-Me for the full script.

17
Programming for Generalization

• Choose verbal responses that are functional in a
  variety of situations.
• Teach multiple scripts for each SD.
• Train Loosely Accept appropriate statements that
  do not exactly match the script.
• Shift reinforcement to natural contingencies.

18
Examples of Script Fading

• Greetings
• Peer Conversation
• Shopping
• Ordering in a Restaurant
• Discussing Current Events
• Recruiting Attention

19
Conversation Partner

• Purpose
• To promote the continuation of a learner-
  initiated conversation that is socially
  meaningful
• To serve as a language model

20
Conversation Partner

• Effectively teaching conversational skills while
  being a partner
• modeling
• attending skills
• personal space
• prosody
• giving your partner time to respond
• using continuation statements to prevent
  premature ending
• conversation content must be relevant and
  language used needs to be appropriate to language
  level
• use textual and audio prompts, and graduated
  guidance

21
Conversation Partner

• What to Avoid
• descriptive praise
• using conversation enders
• questions
• partial echo's/rephrasing
• no verbal prompts

22
Potential Conversation Partners

• Trained adult conversation partner
• Untrained adult conversation partner
• Disabled peers
• Non-disabled peers
• Siblings
• Family Members
• Strangers

23
Data Collection

• Scripted Interactions
• Record the number of words or scripts used
  correctly.
• Measure the use of the scripts.
• Unscripted Interactions
• Record the number of statements made that do not
  match the script.
• Measure the use of other, non-scripted, language.

24
Motivational Systems

• Consider the use of specialized motivational
  systems that are used exclusively for social
  interaction.
• Consider reserving specific reinforcers for use
  exclusively for social interaction programs.
• Consider using scripts that include language
  about preferred activities that function as
  reinforcers
• Although not specifically programmed, ending a
  conversation often functions as a negative
  reinforcer for children with autism

25
Empirical Evidence

• Script fading for readers
• Krantz and McClannahan (1993) used script fading
  to teach non readers with autism to initiate,
  respond to initiations, and make unscripted
  statements during conversations with peers ages
  9-12
• Sarokoff, Taylor, Poulson (2001) used scripts
  embedded in product packaging to teach
  conversation among learners with autism ages
  8-9

26
Empirical Evidence

• Script fading for beginning readers
• Children ages 4-5 were taught to read Look and
  Watch me
• Activity schedules were used to present these
  words along with photographs of activities to
  children with autism
• Scripted statements, unscripted statements, and
  elaborations increased

27
Empirical Evidence

• Script fading for non readers
• Using audio-taped scripts embedded in activity
  schedules demonstrated to be effective for
  learners with autism ages 10-15

28
Script Fading Exercise

• Roll playing using continuation statements
• non-vocal conversation
• 1-word conversations
• 3-word conversations
• 5-word conversations
• unlimited conversations with 10 exchanges
• writing scripts

29
References

• Cooper, J. O., Heron, T. E., Heward, W. L.
  (1987). Applied Behavior Analysis. Columbus,
  OH Merrill Publishing Company.
• Krantz, P.J., McClannahan, L.E. (1998). Social
  interaction skills for children with autism A
  script-fading procedure for beginning readers.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 31,
  191-202.
• Krantz, P. J. McClannahan, L. E. (1993).
  Teaching children with autism to initiate to
  peers Effects of a script-fading procedure.
  Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 26, 121-132.

30
References

• Johnson, K. R. Layng, T. V. J. (1992). Breaking
  the structuralist barrier Literacy and numeracy
  with fluency. American Psychologist, 47,
  1475-1490.
• Stevenson, C.L., Krantz, P.J., McClannahan,
  L.E. (2000). Social interaction skills for
  children with autism A script-fading procedure
  for nonreaders. Behavioral Interventions, 15,
  1-20.
• Sarokoff, R.A., Taylor, B.A., Poulson, C.L.
  (2001). Teaching children with autism to engage
  in conversational exchanges Script-fading with
  embedded textual stimuli. Journal of Applied
  Behavior Analysis, 34, 81-84.