EXAMINING THE EFFECTS OF AN EARLY MAND TRAINING INTERVENTION ON MAND ACQUISITION IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD)

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show language delays. Their limited communication skill may lead them to engage in the same disruptive behavior that previously got them what they wanted. Verbal behavior (VB), specifically mand training (MT), is one of the early language intervention strategies used to target language development and facilitate functional communication with young children with autism. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of an early mand training intervention on mand acquisition in children with ASD. This study specifically targeted the application, the implementation, and their effects. A multiple baseline across participants research design was used to collect and analyze data in this study. The study involved three children with ASD aged four or younger. These children were chosen due to their limited language skills, specifically unprompted mands. This study used preferred items to increase the value of unprompted mands. The study was conducted three days a week, three sessions a day, or until the demonstrated mastery of unprompted manding at least 80% correct in a section. The results of the study showed that the early mand training intervention significantly increased the percentage of correct response of unprompted mands in children with ASD. This finding was consistent with that of previous studies and confirmed the effectiveness of this intervention for children with ASD. Limitations and recommendations were presented and discussed at the end of the dissertation