Greetings to someone who loves a child with autism!
A dozen years ago, if you told me that I would leave my family for weeks at a time, be mentored by Dr. Vincent Carbone, travel all over the country, visit Europe or Bermuda, go back to college to become a behavior analyst, start my own company, or relocate because of treatment strategies for children with autism, I would have said, “Are you kidding?”
I was a successful speech-language pathologist, specializing in treatment of children with autism and loved my home town and close knit community…but then things changed. I learned about a different way of viewing treatment of children with autism that is often called “verbal behavior’. This “verbal behavior” therapy had some of the same words that I had heard before like “applied behavior analysis” and “functional communication”, but it emphasized what I knew was important for the kids that I was treating everyday--motivation and communication. It was different from “Lovaas therapy” or any of the other techniques that I had been studying and using.
Here is the simplest way I can explain how “verbal behavior” therapy is different.
First, the child’s motivation is the most important ingredient. We have to set up situations around the house in natural settings so that children learn to love being with people and playing. Motivation is the foundation. Whenever we teach a new skill, we look at motivation again. All of our teaching strategies are designed to keep kids motivated.
Second, we teach children to communicate, specifically, how to request the things that they have learned to enjoy. We have developed and use more precise methods for teaching kids to speak and use sign language. Communication is key!!
Third, we carefully examine the reasons that children communicate or “language functions”. B.F. Skinner, a famous behaviorist, called these functions “verbal operants”. Understanding and teaching these functions is essential for a child with autism. If a child can imitate a word like “bubble”, it doesn’t mean that he can use that same vocal word to ask for bubbles, label a bubble, point to a bubble when we say, “Where’s the bubble?” or answer a question like, “What’s something you blow?” or “Tell me something you can pop?” . Understanding the need to teach each of these language functions explains “generalization problems” or “inconsistency”. More importantly, it provides a method and a hierarchy for teaching the functions of language systematically so children can use and respond to language more functionally.
These differences in teaching are monumental in helping children with autism learn. I have seen first-hand the improvement in the life of a child with autism and his family as a result of this type of teaching. I feel so strongly about the importance of these procedures that I have made it my mission to help others parents and professionals learn about these strategies. I hope that you will find them as life changing as I have.
Sincerely,
Tamara S. Kasper, MS/CCC-SLP, BCBA
Director