Many
parents of children with disabilities want to know how they can help their
child communicate when they are at home. For young children most of their time
is spent with their family, so “therapy” should become a lifestyle. There are lots of different ways they can
work with their child in a fun and engaging way. At the Viridian Center we combine Applied
Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior to focus on language development.
From the point of view of someone
who has merged Verbal Behavior and Education for many years, it is especially
important to gather as many favorite items that really excite a particular
child. Having a well-stocked fount of
ideas from which to gather new ideas that will motivate your child is a great idea.
In ABA therapy, these highly preferred items
are known as reinforcers. A reinforcer is never defined as an item or
activity, but only by whether it is associated with an increase in the targeted
behavior. Reinforcers are used to help develop
a child’s use of language by encouraging them to mand (think ‘demand’ to help
you remember that manding is
requesting). A simple example of a mand that an early learner would use
would be a reinforcer such as a fun toy,
movie, music or edible. If the child mands by using the
name/sign/approximation of the item, then the reward (reinforcer) is
immediately provided. Motivation drives
the response. The child learns quickly through this process that, despite their
natural inclination not to rely on speech, language really is the quickest way
to get any item that he/she wants. In a
therapy setting the language goals are accelerated and the rewards are faded,
only to reappear in a random manner, to keep a child’s motivation to
participate high. At home parents can
work on manding by “holding back” items that their child wants until they get a
response. This reply is then shaped into
the most appropriate response. A child
should really be manding up to 50 times an hour!
Erin Breen, MS
Viridian Center for Early Intervention
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