RE: [VerbalBehavior] prompt dependency with Mands

[Guest guest]

The teachers should give the student some freebies at least sometimes--ie.,

non-contingent reinforcement. You just need to make sure that the student

really wants what you gave her. Later on, the teacher's presence will

enhance the child's EO when they want something and thus increase the

chances they'll ask. After you do this with a variety of other people (both

adults and peers) the child will be more likely to extend this response to

new people she meets.

Bart

[VerbalBehavior] prompt dependency with Mands

Hi All!!

Hayley's teachers are having trouble getting her to spontaneously mand.

Their numbers show that 60% to 90% are prompted. Last year she consistently

manded spontaneously 60% of the time with new mands being introduced

accounting for the 40% prompted. This year, there are very few new mands

being taught so her spontaneous number should be higher. At home she

spontaneously mands 90% or more. The school reports that they are using the

same mand procedure that we use at home.

Possible explanations:

1) she really doesn't want the things the teacher is having her mand for

2) she had become dependent on a prompt that the school is unaware they are

providing (that we don't do at home) and she waits for it before she

responds at school.

Things we thought of to try:

1) If she doesn't mand for the item within three seconds, put it away or at

least out of reach, instead of prompting her and giving her the item. If

she really wants it she'll try to mand for it. But if we do this it could

greatly reduce the number of mands per day.

2) If she doesn't mand for an item within three seconds, prompt response and

then fade prompts differently. But how?

Everything else is going very well, she is moving very quickly through

learning new tacts and receptive id's in Intensive Teaching. We are ready

to introduce FFC's. I am afraid of moving along too fast in other areas

before we get the manding column of the ablls a little more filled in.

Any advice? Suggestions?

Oh, Hayley communicates with sign paired with vocal approximations.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.

-Kim

Mom to Cady 9 asd, Hayley 7 asd, Corey 5 as

[Guest guest]

Hi,

This may well not be the issue, but should be at least considered. Sometimes

what happens when it is " not time for the student to mand " affects the

spontaneity with which a child mands when the opportunity is present. For

example,

it is likely that your child's home program is more flexible in terms of

following their motivation, than what the school program is. If the school

program

is heavily adult-directed, or structured in other ways that restrict a

child's freedom to follow their motivation (e.g., picture schedules), your

child's

overall tendency to take the initiative to mand may be reduced. (Naturally,

school programs generally need to be somewhat more adult-directed than what is

required by a home program, but you may want to check that it is not extremely

adult or picture directed.)

My 2 cents,

Steve Ward