Abstract

Early vocal-verbal behavior has been found to be a frequent deficit in children with autism and other developmental delays. Past research has found that echoic-training increases vocalizations for children with autism (Greer & Keohane, 2009). The current study sought to improve the echoic-training procedures that were previously used to teach echoics to children with autism in an Early Childhood Special Education Classroom. The procedures were created by using data-based decisions to determine the appropriate sequence and the number of targets that should be taught. This study was conducted in an ECSE classroom with one student who demonstrated a lack of echoic behavior. The new echoic-training procedures created were categorized into sounds, sound combinations, and words. Motivation to engage in echoic behavior was contrived using edibles and tangible reinforcers. Results are expected to demonstrate that more systematic and elaborate series of echoic-training procedures will result in faster acquisition and stronger generalization of vocalizations for children in the classroom. This study adds to the body of research on the advantages of using different echoic-training procedures to increase early vocal-verbal behavior in children with autism and other developmental disabilities.