Aquisição e generalização de mandos em uma criança com autismo

Abstract

The present study had the objective to promote the acquisition and generalization of mands by a child with Autism, using three of the six parts of the Picture Exchange Communication System PECS, combined with procedures of the Applied Behavior Analysis. Autism is defined as a severely incapacitating developmental disability that typically occurs before age three (National Society for Autistic Children, 1993). The participant was a seven-year-old boy that had been diagnosed with Autism, chosen to participate in this study because he presented clear characteristics of the diagnosis and for his difficulty in acquiring the ability to communicate effectively. To show experimental control, a Multiple Baseline between Settings Design was used. Generalization was programmed according to the technique of multiple exemplars proposed by Stokes and Baer (1997). The study implemented three parts of the PECS program in the acquisition of mand responses thru the exchange of cards with photographic representations of potential reinforcers. Mand responses and any intelligible vocalization by the child were registered. Results show that the intervention was effective in facilitating the acquisitions of mands and that his ability generalized from the training setting to two other settings (school and residence) without additional training. It is believed that the PECS program has built-in elements that promote generalization. An increase in the frequency of intelligible vocalizations was observed. The results confirm the efficacy of the PECS program and procedures of Applied Behavior Analysis in teaching functional communication to a child with Autism.