The Effects of Tact Training on Stereotypic Vocalizations in Children with Autism - Article Example

VERBAL BEHAVIOR In response to an increasing occurrence of autism in the world, professionals have sought to intervene by making investigations into the disorder. Children diagnosed with the disorder often experience difficulty in catching up with good social and academic life. Patients have problems exhibiting functional communication with others. In retaliation, experts have developed two models that have gone a long way in rehabilitating victims of this natural occurrence. In fact, there have been efforts to rehabilitate children and adults suffering autism and certain not-for-profit organizations have gone a step further and opened health facilities specifically for the rehabilitation of these victims. Experts from the Association for Behavior Analysis International carried out an investigation to evaluate the different remedies and their significance in trying to curb the extended effects of autism. Two types of remedies have been proposed as appropriate to fixing dysfunctional communication among children. The first includes procedure of tact correction and the other, namely Response Interruption and Redirection (RIRD). In the Tact correction procedure, treatment bases treatment on the individual displaying behaviors where their sounds are likened to those they hear in the environment. Palilalia is characterized by repetitive uttering of syllables and sometimes letters. Autistics display these for most of this characteristic. Stereotypic communication is a major symptom in people suffering autism. 1. Article title: Association for Behavior Analysis International: The Effects of Tact Training on Stereotypic Vocalizations in Children with Autism Authors: Marchese, Nancy, v., Carr, LeBlanc, J. Rosati, L. Conroy, T. & Samantha, A. (2012). 2. The Association for Behavior Analysis International, by the extension of a range of experts who are Nuzzuli-Gomez and a few other experts, carried out an investigation on four children. The purpose of the investigation was to investigate what the procedure of tact correction carried on children with autism was. To carry out this procedure, the scientists took it upon themselves to invite four children aged between 6 to 16 years. 3. To help in distinguishing between the four children were provided with different labeling. Those provided were GM who was the 6 year old, PM was 11 years, JL was aged 13 and RS was 16 years of age. 4. (a) To carry out an effective investigation, the scientists chose to select dependent and independent variables for the four children who were in the program. Children with autism make certain repetitive verbal utterances to sounds they hear. Whilst the purpose of the investigation being carried out is to find the more effective way of rehabilitating autistic children into making functional communication, the variables in the experiment had to therefore be those that would give a conclusive finding on what exactly prompts these children’s verbal challenged behaviors. Independent variables are selected on Greer, Rivera-Valdes, Karmali, Ross and Nuzzulo-Gomez (2005) and, Clark, Ahearn, MacDonald and Chung (2007). These variables are those that prompted the children with the disorder to make verbal responses. Their effect stimulated verbal responses on the children. (b) In their definition, the authors state that independent variable are those “vocal responses emitted in the presence of a nonverbal stimulus to which the tact was appropriate” (Cohen & Bolton, 1993). They were echoic-tact with point to point communication and had some similarity to vocal prompt and in the absence of vocal stimulus. According to Bondy, the experimenter could repeat their utterances in order for it to be a successful experiment. 5. In line Ahearn 2007, the researchers made the dependent variables. These were introduced as the second set of stimulus to prompt responses from the experimenters. The dependent variable remained variable through the observation part of the experiment, although their effect remained diminishing on the subjects of the experiment. (b) When the authors defined the dependent variables, they termed them as those that exhibit vocal responses from the experimenters while they themselves are vocal stimulus. The observations the researchers made were that the children under the experiment had a string reaction to these stimulus. They were defined as stereotypical vocalizations. Their effect on the children was delayed and non-contextual. The children were very repetitive in response to these variables. They had no relation to any event or object in their immediate environment. 6. The experimental of the study was that the entire four specimens were exposed to ten minute sessions each. They were carried out in school setting for rehabilitative facility. They were taken to either the classroom with the desk laid out with plastic containers, a work area, supplies and reinforces. Others were items that were simply for instructions. Another setting was in the gymnasium, which was a small, mat-lined room with swings, balls and tubes. JL and PM were placed in the lunch room. It was placed with some chairs and tables. RS’s experiment was conducted in a time frame, where he was to dispose of material in trash cans designated for recyclable bins placed outside the school compound. He had the chore of walking in the four classrooms in the school and collecting these materials and walking outside the school and placing them in the bin outside the school. 7. The data was collected on a ten-minute interval for every one of the participants. They were recorded on occasions of stereotypical periodic vocalizations. They were also recorded on echoic-tact intervals under either the baseline or intervention model. Baseline: The experimenters were exposed to an array of activities including free time, gym practice, snack times and some group activities. Whenever the first emission of vocalization was noted, then the stopwatch would be started to make a recording of their responses’ timeliness to independent variables, while the engager continued to interact the child verbally. If no data was collectable within the first two minutes, then the remaining eight minutes was for recording the amount of time on response to independent variables. Intervention: the same tactics were applied in this method of data recording. The tact model of experimenting was used in this model. The experimenter depicted verbal vocal statements to see if the child made any responses to their utterances. If the child for instance, made a certain comment to an activity they were undertaking, then the observer would give a direction to a full sentence to the utterance the child has made. 8. There were three trained observers to oversee the occurrence of this data and record it in an appropriate manner. The data recording on observation reported that dependable variable had 90% accuracy. 9. (a) Interobserver agreement was based on either one of three responses; stereotypic vocalizations, echoic-tact and independent tact results. All the participants displayed non-contextual vocal utterances or repetitive speech, al with single words or sentences. (b) The results of the interobserver agreement were either all blend together, clear or nonsensical utterances. 10. The results provide some insight on the behavior expected in trial treatment of children born with this disorder. Under the baseline, interobserver agreement score stood at 27% while that of intervention sessions showed 31% for all the participants of the study. The results were compiled by dividing the lesser of the instances recorded by the data showing higher occurrences of the variables that are dependent and converting it into a percentage. For each of the results of the study, different results were compiled. Baseline sessions rated at 27% while intervention rated 31%. For each of the participants, results showed were: Participant Baseline (%) Intervention (%) RS 88 91 PM 85 87 GH 77 94 JL 92 92 The implication of these results shows that in deed all participants but JL had a decrease in baseline experimental while the intervention remained generally low for all candidates. 11. The results show that out of the 4 participants of the study, three had a decrease in stereotypic vocalizations when tact correction modus operandi was implemented. Additionally, there was increase in independent tact levels of those emitted by the participants. They provide also that appropriate vocalizations improved when tact correction and RIRD are implemented on patients. Reference Cohen, S. & Bolton, P. (1993). Autism: The Facts. Oxford: Oxford University Press Read More