Preliminary steps to the establishment of functional language in non-communicating children

Based on the principles of social learning theory, the purpose of this thesis was to review the clinical procedures commonly applied in the preliminary steps for the establishment of functional speech in non-talking children. The review focused on the following important preliminary stages of speech therapy: 1. Imitation training, including motor imitation and verbal imitation. The basic assumption was that verbal behavior is initially acquired by imitating the verbalizations of other persons, therefore verbal training must start by teaching the non-verbal child to imitate the relevant stimuli provided by the therapist. 2. Establishment of appropriate contingencies for the child's responses. This step was concerned with a description of the technical procedures through which the child receives positive consequences for desirable behavior and negative consequences for undesirable behavior. 3. Modification of incompatible behaviors occurring in the speech therapy sessions. The unfavorable consequences of the child's maladjusted behavior on the speech training program were discussed, and the procedures for modifying them were reviewed. 4. Establishment and maintenance of the child's attention to relevant teaching stimuli. The clinical procedures used for the establishment of eye contact behavior were reviewed