Introduction

Student X is a 9 year old boy diagnosed with ASD, and he is attending the fourth year of primary school. The student has trouble properly expressing his wants and requirements due to his low language communication abilities. In order to help him, his parents and his ASD professional/school escort used Verbal Behaviour to help him improve his communication skills, by implementing the following techniques:

Mand:

The student is learning how to make requests for the items he desires. His parents and school escort teach him how to express his desires verbally or by showing him pictures, and when he expresses the desired item, he is given the requested item. E.g., When the student wants water and says the word “water”, his parents and the school escort will give him water.

Tact:

The student is then trained to label what he sees around him. To assist him with saying the correct things, his parents or school escort use visuals and prompts. E.g., if a cat passes by, his school escort will point it to the student and say the word “cat”. When the student repeats the word correctly, he receives positive feedback.

Intraverbal:

To help the student develop his communication skills, his parents and the school escort address the student with questions and the student is asked to answer them. E.g., the student is asked “what colour is the chair” and the student is prompted to answer correctly, and when he does, he gets positive feedback.

Echoic:

To help the student improve his vocabulary, his parents and school escort use repetition of words for the student to repeat. E.g., The parents use the target word “train” and repeat the word, when the student repeats the word he gets positive feedback.

The parents and the school escort of the student still use certain aspects of Verbal Behavior accordingly, so they can help him develop his communication skills.