Introduction
Children with autism who lacked an autonomous mand repertoire were the focus of the research by McCammon and Wolf (2019), in which the efficacy of mand training and Discrete Trial Training (DTT) was compared using a multiple-baseline approach. Anna, a 7-year-old girl, and Philip, a 4-year-old child, were the research participants. The research included a control group, a training group, a generalization group, and a maintenance group.
Independent mands learning, transfer to other contexts and teachers, and retention were all factors the writers considered. Both treatments improved mand acquisition, although findings varied per participant in terms of receptiveness and generalization. The study’s authors concluded that confident children would need specialized training to master MO (motivating operation)-controlled autonomous manding.
Methodology and Participant Characteristics
The research used a multiple-baseline across-participants alternating-treatments strategy to evaluate its efficacy. There may have been greater clarity in the allocation of participants and the explanation of the training item assignment. The experimenters were unable to blind their participants, but it is unknown whether the independent observers did so. The interventional effects could be well evaluated due to the trial’s length (33 sessions) (McCammon & Wolf, 2019). The investigation was conducted in a controlled environment, a private treatment session at an ABA clinic.
Participants were chosen since they did not have a substantial mand repertoire of their own. Their linguistic proficiency was consistently measured using the VB-MAPP, which assessed their mand scores and fluent echoic repertoire. The results may not be generalizable to the general population, as the study included only two individuals (Suberman & Cividini-Motta, 2019).
Comparative Results of Mand Training and DTT
Participants learned mands using both mand training and DTT treatments. While Philip’s acquisition rates were comparable across situations, he responded more quickly to mand training items. On the other hand, Anna learned mands only in the mand training situation. Both individuals were able to apply their newly acquired abilities to other contexts and teachers. Philip, on the other hand, maintained his manding for DTT condition toys throughout maintenance, whilst Anna did not mand for toys in either state.
Both mand training and DTT were shown to be equally effective in raising the rate of mand acquisition, according to the authors. However, they emphasized the importance of specific training approaches to achieve MO-controlled autonomous manding. The authors hypothesized that the MO’s takeover might be hindered by extraneous factors, such as the item’s physical presence or vocal reminders.
Limitations and Directions for Future Research
The small sample size of this study should be addressed in future research to enhance generalizability. The efficacy of various therapies for children with autism may be better understood if the variation in response to the outlined intervention is investigated. Additional research is needed to determine the best settings for facilitating the transfer and maintenance of manding abilities (Ban & McGill, 2023; Valentino et al., 2018). To provide more efficient and targeted therapies for individuals with autism, it is crucial to investigate the effects of supplementary stimuli and prompts on mand training.
Conclusion
Thus, this research examined the efficacy of mand training and DTT treatments for teaching mand to autistic children who did not already have a sufficient mand repertoire. The results showed that people had different reaction times and generalization tendencies. The authors emphasized the importance of adhering to prescribed training methods to achieve autonomous manding when the MO is in charge. To improve therapies for autistic children, more studies are needed to examine individual differences, skill generalization, and maintenance.
References
Ban, Y., & McGill, P. (2023). The use of conditioned motivating operations (CMOs) in mand training for children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. European Journal of Behavior Analysis.
McCammon, M. & Wolfe, K. (2019) A comparison of mand training and discrete trial training on the acquisition of vocal mands suggests that an antecedent verbal stimulus may inhibit independent manding. Evidence-Based Communication Assessment and Intervention, 13(3), 151–156.
Suberman, R., & Cividini‐Motta, C. (2019). Teaching caregivers to implement mand training using speech generating devices. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis.
Valentino, A. L., LeBlanc, L. A., Veazey, S. E., Weaver, L. A., & Raetz, P. B. (2018). Using a prerequisite skills assessment to identify optimal modalities for mand training. Behavior Analysis in Practice, 12(1), 22–32.