Increasing Autistic Children\u27s Spontaneous Verbalizations of Affection: An Assessment of Time Delay and Peer Modeling Procedures

Abstract

We assessed the efficacy of time delay and peer modeling procedures in increasing autistic children\u27s spontaneous verbalizations of affection. Four autistic children were taught to spontaneously say I like (love) you in response to a hug from a familiar person and their mother. Generalization from a free play training setting to free play outdoors and at home was assessed. Ancillary social and affection behaviors were also observed. Results indicated that the time delay was a quick and effective procedure for all the children. Peer modeling was unsuccessful in teaching the target behavior