An evaluation of lag schedules and prompting methods to increase variability of naming category items in children with autism spectrum disorder

Wiskow and colleagues tested lag schedules plus simple rules on typically developing preschoolers. The kids had to name different items in a category, like 'animals' or 'foods'. They compared two prompt types: accurate rules ('say a new one') and inaccurate rules ('say the same one').

The team used single-case design. They measured how many different words each child said during the game.

The lag schedule with either rule type made the children name more varied items. The new flexible naming stuck around even after the rewards stopped. Kids kept using different words in later sessions with no extra prompts.

This study extends Wiskow et al. (2016). That earlier paper used lag schedules plus tact-priming on kids with autism. The 2018 version swapped the population to neurotypical preschoolers and added explicit rules. Both found more varied naming, showing the trick works across diagnoses.

Olin et al. (2020) and Poppes et al. (2016) echo the same theme: lag schedules boost verbal flexibility in autistic children. The 2018 paper proves the same core tool helps typical kids too. Together they form a tidy line: lag schedules increase response variability no matter the starting population.

Parilla et al. (2023) took the idea into a teen's living room. Their home-based lag schedule plus scripted prompts also lifted response variety. The 2018 lab study and the 2023 home study fit hand-in-glove: rules or scripts, table or sofa, the schedule keeps working.

You can borrow this low-prep package tomorrow. Pick a category, set a lag-1 rule ('tell me a new one'), and reinforce every different response. It costs nothing, needs no extra toys, and the variability survives when you fade the reward. Perfect for warm-ups or mixed verbal operant drills with any preschool client.