title: Assessment of the functions of vocal behavior in children with developmental disabilities: a replication.
abstract: Although experimental analysis methodologies have been useful for identifying the function of a wide variety of target behaviors (e.g., Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, & Richman, 1982/1994), only recently have such procedures been applied to verbal operants (Lerman et al., 2005). In the current study, we conducted a systematic replication of the methodology developed by Lerman et al. Participants were 4 children who had been diagnosed with developmental disabilities and who engaged in limited vocal behavior. The function of vocal behavior was assessed by exposing target vocal responses to experimental analyses. Results showed that experimental analyses were generally useful for identifying the functions of vocal behavior across all participants.
authors.affiliation: Marcus Institute, 1920 Briarcliff Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30329, USA. kelleym@marcus.org
authors.forename: Michael E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Kelley
authors.forename: M Alice
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Shillingsburg
authors.forename: M Jicel
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Castro
authors.forename: Laura R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Addison
authors.forename: Robert H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: LaRue
authors.forename: Megan P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Martins
mesh_terms: D002675:Child, Preschool; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D002658:Developmental Disabilities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D013060:Speech; D014705:Verbal Behavior