title: A comparison of stimulus-stimulus pairing, standard echoic training, and control procedures on the vocal behavior of children with autism.
abstract: An alternating treatments design was employed to compare the effect of stimulus-stimulus pairing, standard echoic training, and a control condition on the vocal behavior of 3 preschoolers with autism. Data were recorded during pre- and postsession observations. During the stimulus-stimulus pairing condition, the experimenter's vocal model was paired with the delivery of a preferred item. During the standard echoic training condition, the experimenter presented a vocal model and delivered a preferred item contingent on an echoic response. During the control condition, the experimenter presented a vocal model and, after a 10-s delay, presented a preferred edible item. Results from the post-session observations during the stimulus-stimulus pairing condition showed an immediate but temporary increase in the target sound for 1 participant only. Implications and suggestions for future research are provided.
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia.
authors.forename: Richard A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Stock
authors.forename: Kimberly A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Schulze
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mirenda