Autism Core Knowledge Flashcards

When a child with ASD engages in manding, the child is:

Answer: Requesting reinforcers through verbal behavior under motivating operation control

A mand is Skinner's term for a verbal operant controlled by a motivating operation and followed by specific reinforcement; requesting preferred items is the prototypical example.

Research on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) use in nonverbal individuals with ASD indicates that:

Answer: AAC use can support communication development without impeding speech acquisition

Evidence consistently shows that AAC does not suppress speech development and may actually facilitate vocal output by reducing communication frustration.

Before using a token economy with a child with ASD, the behavior analyst must first:

Answer: Establish the tokens as conditioned reinforcers through pairing with backup reinforcers

Tokens are neutral stimuli that must be conditioned as generalized reinforcers through repeated pairing with backup reinforcers before the economy can be effective.

Stimulus overselectivity, a phenomenon frequently observed in individuals with ASD, refers to:

Answer: Attending to a narrow or limited subset of features in a complex stimulus

Stimulus overselectivity (or tunnel vision) occurs when a learner's behavior comes under control of only one feature of a compound stimulus, impairing discrimination learning and generalization.

In the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), what is taught during Phase I?

Answer: Exchanging a single picture card to request a desired item from a communicative partner

PECS Phase I establishes the basic communicative exchange: the learner picks up a picture of a desired item and physically hands it to a communicative partner to receive the item.

Social skills groups for individuals with ASD produce the strongest outcomes when:

Answer: Skills practiced in the group are also targeted for generalization to real-world settings

Without deliberate generalization programming, skills acquired in a group setting often fail to transfer to natural environments; planning for generalization is essential for meaningful outcomes.

The primary purpose of prompt fading in ABA programs for individuals with ASD is to:

Answer: Transfer stimulus control from artificial prompts to natural cues and build independence

Prompt fading systematically reduces learner reliance on supplemental prompts so that behavior eventually comes under the control of naturally occurring antecedents, promoting independent functioning.