SYLLABUS

Advanced Topics in Behavior Analysis and Verbal Behavior

Dr. Vincent J. Carbone, BCBA-D

NYS Licensed Behavior Analyst

IESCUM

Parma, Italy

December 1, 2, & 3, 2016

Goal: To provide graduate students with an overview of important concepts and principles included in B.F.Skinner’s (1957) analysis of verbal behavior. Accomplishment of this goal will assist in preparing students to develop instructional programs for children with autism and other related disabilities who may not acquire verbal behavior through the everyday exposure to the indirect contingencies of reinforcement arranged by a verbal community.

Objectives: After completing this course the students will have a verbal repertoire, e.g. intraverbals and tacts, that include:

  1. Definitions of the primary verbal operants and identification of behavioral principles that make up the controlling variables for each .
  2. Descriptions of the procedures derived from the basic principles to effectively teach each of the primary verbal operants. .
  3. Description of the concepts and principles related to the motivating operation and how it relates to the acquisition and teaching of verbal behavior.
  4. How to contrive and capture motivation to teach the mand as part of a language training program
  5. How to teach verbal behavior in natural environment settings.
  6. Describe the differences between topography and selection based verbal behavior methods of alternative communication.
  7. How to increase vocal production in minimally vocal children with autism.
  8. Definition of autoclitic processes and the role they play in language training programs for children with autism.

Course Activities and Requirements: The following is a list of the activities that will lead to successful completion of the course objectives:

  1. Attend each class to discuss the relevant material. The class meetings will include discussion of power point material, discussion of assigned readings and video illustrations of relevant concepts and principles.
  2. Read the assigned readingsand power points prior to each class.
  3. Participate in class discussions and ask relevant questions during class meetings.

Course Outline

The following is a schedule of the units of study and related materials. Prior to the class meeting complete all reading assignments and review the power point slides

Thursday, December 1, 2016

Intro to the Book Verbal Behavior, Teaching Verbal Operants

and Joint Control

Joint Control

Reading Assignments- SEE Readings Folder

Power Points: SEE Thursday Power Point Slides Folder

Intro to Verbal Behavior

Teching Verbal Operants

IESCUM- Joint Control

______

Friday, December 2, 2016

The Primary Verbal Operants, Natural Environment Teaching (NET) and The Role of the Motivating Operation in the Teaching Children with Autism

Reading Assignments- SEE Readings Folder

Power Points- SEE Friday Power Point Slides Folder

The Motivating Operation

Pairing & Manding

Teaching in the Natural Environment

Albert, K. M.., Carbone, V J., Murray, D., Hagerty, M., Sweeney-Kerwin, E. J. (2013) Increasing

the mand repertoire of children with autism through the use of an interrupted chain procedure.

Behavior Analysis in Practice, 5, 65-76.

Carbone, V.J. (2013). The establishing operation and teaching verbal behavior. The Analysis

of Verbal Behavior,29, 45-50.

Carbone, V. J., Morgenstern, B., Zecchin-Tirri, G. & Kolberg, L. (2010). The role of the

reflexive-conditioned motivating operation (CMO-R) during discrete trial instruction

of children with autism. Focus on Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 25, 110-124

Carbone, V.J., O’Brien, L., Sweeney-Kerwin, E.J., and Albert, K. (2013). Teaching eye

contact to children with autism: A conceptual analysis and single case study. Education

and Treatment of Children, 36, 139-159.

Laraway, S., Snycerski, S, Michael, J., & Poling, A. (2003). Motivating operations and terms to describe them: Some further refinements. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 36, 407-414.

Roxburgh, C., & Carbone, V. J. (2012). The effects of varying teacher presentation rates

on responding during discrete trial training for two children with autism. Behavior

Modification, 3, 298-323.

Sweeney-Kerwin, E., Carbone, V. J., O’Brien, L., Zecchin, G., Janecky, M. N. (2007).

Transferring control of the mand to the motivating operation in children with autism.

The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 23, 89-102.

------

Saturday,December 3, 2015

Autoclitic Behavior, Linguistic Structure and Topography and

Selection-Based Verbal Behavior

Reading Assignments–SEE Readings Folder

Power Points- See Saturday Power Points Slides Folder

Autoclitic from Sundberg

Autoclitics

IESCUM Linguistic Structure

Topography and Selection-Based Verbal Behavior

Carbone, V. J.,, Lewis, L., Sweeney-Kerwin, E. J., Dixon, J., Louden, R., Quinn, S., (2006). A

comparison of two approaches for teaching vb functions: Total communications vs. vocal-

alone. Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis, 1, 181-192.

Carbone, V., Sweeney-Kervin, E., Attanasio, V., Kasper, T., (2010). Increasing the vocal responding of children with autism and other developmental disabilities using manual sign language, mand training, prompt delay procedures, and vocal prompting. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.43, 705-709.

Michael J. Two kinds of verbal behavior plus a possible third.The Analysis of Verbal Behavior.1985;3:1–4.

Miliotis, A., Sidener, T. M., Reeve, K. K., Carbone, V.,J., Sidener, D. W., Rader, L.,

Delmolino, L. (2012). An evaluation of the number of presentations of target sounds

during stimulus-stimulus pairing trials. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 45, 809-

813.

Rader, L,Sidener, T.M., Reeve, K.M., Sidener,D.M.,Delmolino, L., Miliotis, A.,

Carbone, V.J. (2014) Stimulus-Stimulus Pairing of Vocalizations: A Systematic

Replication. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 30, 69-74.

Schlosser, R. W., & Wendt, O. (2008). Augmentative and alternative communication intervention for children with autism: A systematic review. In J. K. Luiselli, D. C. Russo, W. P. Christian, & S. M. Wilczynski (Eds.) Effective practices for children with autism. (pp.325-389). New York: Oxford University Press.

Tincani, M. (1985) TB and SB VB. Tincani, M. (2004). Comparing the Picture Exchange Communication System and sign language training for children with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 3, 152-163.

Van der Meer, L., Sutherland, D., O’Reilly, M.F., Lancioni, G.El., Sigafoos, J. (2012 ) A furthercomparison of manual signing, picture exchange and speech generating devices as communication modes for children with autism spectrum disordres, 6, 1247-1257.

Grading:. There will be a multiple choice question test on the last day of class. The test will cover all the material presented during the course and may include material from the readings that were not discussed in class.

The grading scale is as follows:

90-100 – A

80-89- B

70-79- C

60-69- D

Below 60 - F

All policies governing academic matters established by IESCUM will be adhered to.

1