J Behav Educ
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10864-018-9300-4
1 3
ORIGINAL PAPER
A Behavioral Intervention Package to Increase
Vocalizations of Individuals with Autism During
Speech‑Generating Device Intervention
Cindy Gevarter
1
· Keri Horan
2
© Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018
Abstract This study examined a behavioral intervention package to promote the
use of target vocalizations alongside speech-generating device (SGD) mands. Six
minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder participated, including
three with no prior SGD experience. During baseline, SGD responses resulted in
access to a preferred item and there was no reinforcement for vocalizations. In Phase
I of intervention, responses that included target vocalizations were diferentially
reinforced with a highly preferred target item and, following a delay, responses with-
out vocalizations produced an easy distractor trial and access to a lesser-preferred
item. Three participants increased vocalizations with these procedures alone. For
two of these participants, closer approximations or full words were modeled and dif-
ferentially reinforced during a secondary intervention phase, resulting in an increase
in closer matches for one of them. The third did not require this intervention, but
a second target was introduced successfully. Although the remaining three partici-
pants responded minimally to Phase I, vocalizations increased to high levels for two
of these three participants after a vocal model was added and faded during Phase II.
Independent SGD maintained throughout all phases of the study for all participants,
and participants generalized the use of vocalization responses when the SGD was
not present.
The frst author was a professor at Manhattanville College (Purchase, NY) and the second author
was a graduate student at Manhattanville College when data collection for the study occurred.
* Cindy Gevarter
cgevarter@unm.edu
1
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, 1700 Lomas NE, MSC01 1195, 1 University of
New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
2
Upper Nyack Elementary School, Nyack Public School District, Nyack, NY, USA