The Relative Effects of Pre Training Learners and Exemplar and Non Exemplar Video Skills Training on the Acquisition and Generalized Maintenance of Signing in Toddlers

Behavioral skills training (BST) packages have been demonstrated to be an effective method of training parents and family members to train skillful implementation of discrete trial teaching (DTT). Video modeling can be used as an effective means to teach a variety of skills with the BST packages. Multiple exemplar training consists of using multiple settings, people, cues, or materials. Current research suggests that there may be multiple benefits to teaching sign language to hearing children who have not yet developed vocal language. The current study investigated increasing a parent's ability to maintain child acquisition skills. Parents were first shown to not have any DTT skills, and then child participants were taught signs by the experimenter. Next it was demonstrated that parent participants were unsuccessful at maintaining these skills until undergoing a video training which was successful in getting the parents to interact in ways that increased and maintained signing. This study found that when taught 2 different signs (both a mand and a tact) for the same item, children only met the mastery criteria for manding, even when some tacting was acquired. It was found that a video modeling procedure including both exemplars and non-exemplars of both a trainer and a model was an effective means of teaching parents to implement discrete trial teaching methods with their child for 3 of the 4 participants. In addition, there was some evidence of discrimination between sessions when the experimenter wore different colored shirts to signal a manding session or tacting session. Lastly, manding generalized to novel individuals and situations in the home environment for 3 of the 4 participants.

Level thesis:degree_level

Master's Degree

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Walsh, Christine Anne

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Williams, Wilfred L.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Alavosius, Mark P.
• Rock, Steve

• autism
• exemplars and non-exemplars
• manding and tacting
• parent training
• sign training
• video training

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright(All Rights Reserved)

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11714/3891

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholarwolf.unr.edu:11714/3891