Association for Behavior Analysis International

Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a method for supplementing, enhancing, and sometimes replacing vocal-verbal behavior for populations that present with complex communication needs (CCN), helping individuals potentially contact reinforcement for verbal behavior. Collaboration between speech-language pathologists (SLPs) and behavior analysts can facilitate AAC assessment within the context of mand modality training and preference assessment for individuals with CCN. The current study examined the effects of a telehealth behavioral skills training (BST) intervention on the accurate administration of an AAC assessment methodology incorporating objective measures of independent mands, consideration of challenging behavior, social validity, and preference assessment. Participants included two SLP graduate students, who attended a virtual training with instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback components, in a multiple baseline across participants design. BST resulted in increased performance during administration of the mand training and AAC assessment with both participants, suggesting that virtual BST may be an effective method for disseminating standard practices for AAC assessment to SLPs and other clinicians. Procedures will be replicated with a third participant to further demonstrate experimental control and treatment efficacy.

Adults with autism often experience challenges in developing social skills, which can result in limited friendships relative to their neurotypical peers. Conversational skills, particularly topic shift strategies, play a crucial role in shaping social interactions. However, lacking essential skills like topic shift strategies can lead adults with autism to persistently experience negative social encounters. Behavior-analytic research suggests effective interventions for improving conversation skills, but areas such as topic shift strategies remain under-researched and has been limited to investigating one type of topic shift – shifting to a new topic when someone is uninterested. Additionally, while conversational analyses have been performed with neurotypical individuals and those with other diagnoses, there is uncertainty regarding whether topic shift behaviors differ among neurotypical individuals and those with autism. The purpose of this study was to conduct as descriptive assessment with neurotypical adults and adults with autism. Participants were instructed to engage in a 30-minute conversation with a novel conversation partner and then were asked to complete a social validity questionnaire regarding their partner’s conversational skills. Conversations were transcribed and coded by antecedent and behavior topographies of topic shifts. Results suggest that adults may response to various topographies of antecedent events and subsequently engage in various topographies of topic shift behaviors, extending beyond what existing literature suggests. These results further inform clinical benchmarks of conversation skills and potential interventions that may be utilized with aduts with autism.