Mand training is a very logical and natural procedure to begin teaching communication skills to individuals with autism. Existing research has documented strategies for teaching children with autism to mand for preferred items, although there are fewer high quality studies on teaching children to mand for other people to perform an action. In addition to improving the general mand repertoire, teaching children to mand for others to perform an action is important because it allows children with autism to communicate ways in which another person could improve their environment by performing a simple action. The purpose of this study was to document a functional relation between mand training and acquisition and generalization of unprompted mands for another person to perform an action. Using a multiple-baseline design across participants, four children with autism were taught to mand for an adult to perform a variety of actions (e.g., to open a container so the child could obtain a preferred item). Results showed that the intervention produced an increase in unprompted mands for actions for all participants. Additionally, all participants demonstrated unprompted mands at or above mastery criteria during all generalization sessions in a different setting and different interventionist. The magnitude of effect was also large for all participants. This study extends the research on mand training by demonstrating a procedure that can be used to teach children with autism specific mands for actions. Additionally, this study will contribute to a body of strong and adequate studies that will eventually lead to mand training being considered an evidence-based practice.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of self-management strategies as a means of reducing off-task and disruptive behaviors of elementary school children identified as emotionally disturbed or behavior disordered (E/BD). This study provided a practical approach for classroom teachers to implement self-management strategies in classes that include children identified as having E/BD. Five elementary school children who were formally evaluated and enrolled in a special education classroom for students with E/BD were selected to participate in the study. The study also examined the effects of the self-management procedures when targeted behaviors were monitored by peers. Four resource students from the regular education class served as peer monitors. An ABAB reversal design was used to assess the effectiveness of the self-management strategy in the special education classroom. A behavior rating scale was used at the beginning of the study to develop a baseline of student behavior and during the final phase of the intervention to measure progress. The data indicated that the self-management strategies decreased the levels off-task and disruptive behaviors for all participating students. The findings of this study substantiates previous research that suggests self-management techniques help student to manage their own behaviors.

In this study the effectiveness of WatchMinderTM, a vibrating prompt watch, was examined as a component of a self-monitoring intervention package to help students with autism increase on-task behavior during independent seatwork. A multitude of literature since the 1970s has suggested that self-monitoring interventions are integral in increasing task engagement. Tactile prompting devices are a new aspect of self-monitoring interventions, and the limited research has shown that these unobtrusive devices are effective for providing feedback to monitor their behavior. Self-graphing is another component of self-monitoring interventions that has received little attention in the literature. However, many studies recognize the importance for individuals to be active participants in their educational programs by analyzing progress and being a part of the decision making process. This study assessed the use of WatchMinder and self-graphing on the on-task behavior of four elementary students with autism in the special education setting. / Lisa Finn. / Thesis (M.Ed.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013. / Includes bibliography. / Mode of access: World Wide Web. / System requirements: Adobe Reader.

Submitted by Marlene Aparecida de Souza Cardozo (mcardozo@pucsp.br) on 2018-04-19T10:14:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodolfo Ribeiro Dib.pdf: 900356 bytes, checksum: 7f176b28502e61b2ec2f325e3dde9649 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-04-19T10:14:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rodolfo Ribeiro Dib.pdf: 900356 bytes, checksum: 7f176b28502e61b2ec2f325e3dde9649 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-11-10 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder frequently experience delays in their vocal verbal behavior. Previous studies that have attempted to teach verbal mand to autistic children through the scope of Behavior Analysis have used different antecedents in the process of teaching as a means to facilitate and speed up the acquisition of this verbal operant. The present study investigates the effect of gradually delaying the echoic method, until completely removing it to teach vocal mand. Along with the addition of the echoic method, participants were deprived of an item whose topography had been previously taught. The echoic model corresponding to the mand topography taught was immediately repeated by the researcher after putting away the item of interest to the child inside a box and, gradually, the time for presentation of the echoic model was delayed. The intention was to investigate whether the motivating operation alone could control the verbal operant. Three children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder between three and four years old participated in the study. Two participants were taught three vocal mand topographies and one was taught two topographies. One of the participants learned all three mand responses in just a few sessions, while two participants learned only one over the course of additional sessions. At the follow-up session twenty days after being taught the mands, the participants still provided the correct responses. The importance of variables such as motivation, the participants’ starting repertoire, number of attempts, and frequency of the sessions is discussed from the perspective of the study’s efficacy. Limitations such as the lack of planning of a generalization process and the low number of participants should be addressed in future studies / Crianças com diagnóstico de Transtorno do Espectro Autista (TEA) apresentam, frequentemente, déficits expressivos em repertórios verbais. Estudos anteriores, que se propuseram a ensinar mando para crianças com TEA sob a ótica da Análise do Comportamento, usaram diferentes antecedentes no procedimento de ensino como forma de facilitar e agilizar a aquisição desse operante. O presente estudo investigou o efeito do atraso gradual do modelo ecoico, até sua retirada, no ensino de mando. Além da adição do modelo ecoico, também houve a presença da privação de um item, cuja topografia foi ensinada. O modelo ecoico correspondente à topografia de mando ensinada era dito imediatamente pelo experimentador, após o mesmo guardar o item de interesse da criança numa caixa e, gradualmente, o tempo de apresentação do modelo ecoico foi atrasado. Pretendeu-se investigar se apenas a operação motivadora poderia controlar o operante verbal. Participaram da investigação três crianças com TEA com idade entre três e quatro anos. Dois participantes foram submetidos ao ensino de três topografias vocais de mando e um ao ensino de duas topografias. Um dos participantes aprendeu as três respostas de mando ensinadas em poucas sessões, enquanto dois participantes aprenderam apenas uma, em um número maior de sessões. No follow-up, realizado para dois participantes vinte dias após o encerramento do ensino, as respostas corretas se mantiveram. Discutese a importância de variáveis como motivação, repertório de entrada dos participantes, número de tentativas e periodicidade das sessões para a eficácia do ensino. Limitações como ausência do planejamento da generalização e número pequeno de participantes devem ser atendidas em estudos futuros

Public school systems are required to provide a safe learning environment free of violence and disruption. For students who threaten the learning of themselves or others, schools frequently develop a disciplinary alternative education placement. Students with a history of behavior problems at school are at greatest risk for future behavior problems and academic failures. In response to evidence that removal discipline techniques had little efficacy, schools have focused on identifying alternative methods of maintaining order and safety. This study evaluated the outcomes of an elementary-level alternative discipline placement with unique intervention programming. The program includes interventions to increase the effectiveness of traditional alternative discipline placements. Activities focus on promoting social competence and developing social information-processing skills intended to increase the behavioral and academic success of student participants. The program excludes students from the general student population and consists of a behavior management system with gradually increasing behavior expectations, reinforcements and consequences, focused social skills lessons, counseling, and parenting classes. Participants were consistently lower performing academically than control group students both before and after the program. However, students who experienced fewer discipline removals after the program had higher report card grades. Overall, participants had a decrease in discipline removals after participating in the program but continued to have more lost instruction days due to discipline than control group students. The higher grade level students had less behavior improvement following the program than younger students. No relation was found between a student’s level of success in the program and their academic or behavioral performance changes. Future research needs include a comparison of students referred for persistent misbehavior and those referred for a single, serious incident and the need to assess the specific skills addressed in the program. / Department of Educational Psychology

Thesis (M.A.) - Carleton University, 2002. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 88-95). Also available in electronic format on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Alabama at Birmingham, 2008. / Additional advisors: Margaret Rice, Boyd Rogan, Foster Watkins, Martha Barber. Description based on contents viewed May 29, 2008; title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references (p. 112-120).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oregon, 2004. / Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 115-120). Also available for download via the World Wide Web; free to University of Oregon users.

Thesis (M. Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 120-132).

Thesis (M.Ed.)--University of Hong Kong, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 120-132). Also available in print.