Some direct and generalized effects of replacing an autistic man's echolalia with correct responses to questions.
Word cards and model answers can flip echolalia into correct responses in adults with autism.
01Research in Context
What this study did
One adult with autism kept repeating questions instead of answering them.
The team used word cards and model answers to teach correct responses.
They tested three question types in a multiple baseline design.
Echolalia dropped to zero after just a few teaching sessions.
Correct answers rose quickly and stayed high.
Bonus: the man started using new words in other conversations too.
How this fits with other research
Wilkins et al. (2009) did the same thing with kids, but used story-chaining instead of word cards. Both studies show prompting can replace echoing with real language.
Shafer (1993) explains why word cards work so well. The review says topography-based tools like cards are easier to learn than pointing systems.
KELLEHEBERRYMAELLIOTT et al. (1962) used similar prompting decades earlier to fix eating problems in adults. The method keeps working across behaviors and diagnoses.
Why it matters
You can stop echolalia fast with simple visual prompts. Try word cards or model answers during question training. The skill spreads to other talks, so you get more language for free.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
We extended the use of operant procedures to decrease immediate echolalia and increase the appropriate responding to questions of a 21-year-old autistic man. Three experiments were conducted in which the overall plan was to encourage the subject to remain quiet before, during, and after the presentation of questions and teach him to use environmental cues (i.e., word cards or a model's responses) to increase the likelihood of responding correctly. Multiple baseline designs demonstrated that echolalia was rapidly replaced with correct stimulus-specific responses. In addition, there were a variety of generalized improvements in the subject's verbal responses to questions. The procedures and results are contrasted to previous research in an attempt to explain the encouraging findings.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1986 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1986.19-289