Establishing mand emergence: The effects of three training procedures and modified antecedent conditions

This study examined the effects of a modified antecedent during probes for emergent mands following listener versus tact training for children with autism. Eight students, aged 7 to 11, were trained to respond to 3 sets of relational responses (front/back, left/right, on/under), each assigned a nonsense label. Three training types were evaluated: listener training, tact training, and listener-tact training combined. Following the experimental training, probes for emergent mands were conducted under modified antecedent conditions. Results showed that modified antecedent conditions were critical in demonstrating mand emergence for some participants. Copyright © 2010 Denison University.