EVALUATION OF AN ENHANCED STIMULUS–STIMULUS PAIRING PROCEDURE TO INCREASE EARLY VOCALIZATIONS OF CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Evidence to support stimulus–stimulus pairing (SSP) in speech acquisition is less than robust, calling into question the ability of SSP to reliably establish automatically reinforcing properties of speech and limiting the procedure’s clinical utility for increasing vocalizations. We evaluated the effects of a modified SSP procedure on low-frequency within-session vocalizations that were further strengthened through programmed reinforcement. Procedural modifications (e.g., interspersed paired and unpaired trials) were designed to increase stimulus salience during SSP. All 3 participants, preschoolers with autism, showed differential increases of target over nontarget vocal responses during SSP. Results suggested an automatic reinforcement effect of SSP, although alternative interpretations are discussed, and suggestions are made for future research to determine the utility of SSP as a clinical intervention for speech-delayed children. DESCRIPTORS: automatic reinforcement, autism, conditioned reinforcement, speech delay, stimulus–stimulus pairin