Covariation between bizarre and nonbizarre speech as a function of the content of verbal attention.

The team ran a functional analysis on bizarre speech in adults with developmental delay.

They tested whether the words the therapist said changed the client’s odd statements.

Attention was given either about the bizarre talk or about normal talk, then they counted what happened.

Bizarre speech jumped when the therapist spoke about the bizarre content.

The same speech dropped when the therapist spoke about everyday topics.

The form of attention, not just its presence, controlled the behavior.

Duker et al. (1991) already showed that steady attention or teaching new phrases can erase bizarre speech.

DeLeon et al. (2003) adds a twist: the words you use while giving that attention still matter.

Taylor et al. (1993) found problem behavior only when the adult talked to another adult, proving attention details count.

Repp et al. (1992) split kids into attention-seeking and social-avoiding groups, again showing attention is not one-size-fits-all.

During your next functional analysis, script what you will say before you say it.

If the client’s odd talk grows when you comment on it, switch your comments to ordinary topics and watch it shrink.

This tiny change costs nothing and can speed up treatment.