A brief description of the research question(s) and hypothesis
This experiment aims at finding out the rate of communication for a 2-year old girl with autism. The study uses the ABA, dubbed as the Applied Behavior Analysis, by focusing on the B. F Skinner's language analysis. Teaching communication by providing as many requests/mands as possible was used as the primary treatment goal. Sign language was used as the primary communication system and was paired with sign language. Due to the speed with which the girl learned, the study concludes that a language training program with an emphasis on request/mand can be highly efficient and effective in developing functional communication.
The method, setting, and subjects, research design
Method
The method used in this experiment is known as participant observation. It involves the observation and recording of the learning behavior of a child with autism. A two-year-old, three-month-old girl with autism was found to have Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale Domain age equivalents which include: social, seven months; communication, three months; daily living, eight months; motor, one year, three months;
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Setting
The setting of this experiment is a center-based program at the Toronto Preschool Autism Service. The holding of the sessions was done every afternoon, consisting of one-to-one teaching for a period of two and a half hours.
Research Design
The research design used in this experiment involved a quasi-experimental design. The collection of data involved both physically prompted mands and unprompted mands through the use of tally counters. The tallying of the prompted mand was done due to the request of the instructor.
A summary of the results
At the beginning of the teaching, all the mands were required in full for the child to learn how to sign. However, over time, when the girl was taught sign language, the child began to learn other languages easily. The girl was able to make the first unprompted language using a sign which she was taught during her 21 st session. As time progressed, the use of physical mands became less prominent.
4. The conclusions as reported by the study author(s)
The study shows that a very young child with autism can be taught in the form of signing. The emphasis should be placed on the initial request for the items which are highly required. From the data, it is evident that for a child with autism, language acquisition rate will increase over time as well as the number of independent mands. Besides, the child will be able to learn the verbal language in response to his/her signs. This study was designed for the purposes of examining the effectiveness of emphasizing on the mand during the training of the language. By observing the collected data, there is clear evidence that language training program is very important for a child with autism.
