Using a script procedure without fading to increase novel behavior in a conversation between children with autism
Keep the script in sight—no fading needed—to spark new, on-topic conversation with autistic kids.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team worked with three autistic children who spoke in short, repetitive phrases.
Each child got a small card with four new, full-sentence things to say about toys or snacks.
The card never went away. Adults praised the child every time he used a line from the card.
What they found
All three kids started saying the new sentences right away.
Two kids also began making brand-new sentences that were not on the card.
Inappropriate talk like screeching dropped for every child and stayed low for a month.
How this fits with other research
Camilleri et al. (2024) showed the same idea works on phones. They gave 856 autistic kids digital Social Stories and saw the biggest gains in younger verbal children. Their large app study extends this small card study to everyday tech.
Cramm et al. (2009) ran an RCT with paper Social Stories and also skipped fading. Game-play skills improved just like conversation improved here, showing static text alone can do the job.
Sievert et al. (1988) taught non-verbal kids by praising any sound. Yamamoto skips the shaping steps and jumps straight to full sentences, a leap made possible because these children already had basic speech.
Why it matters
You can hand a child a script card today and see new, appropriate talk in the same session. No need to thin prompts or rewrite stories each week. Try it during snack, play, or recess: write 3-4 useful sentences, keep the card in view, and praise every use. It is a five-minute setup that may free you from hours of fading plans.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
AbstractThis study aimed to examine the effectiveness of a prompting procedure (using a textual script without fading) in increasing novel behavior during conversations by children with autism. Four children with autism participated in the study. Dependent variables were scripted behavior, unscripted behavior, novel behavior, and inappropriate statements in a conversation between children with autism. This study used an ABCA design, the baseline, a script procedure, a script removal, and a return to baseline phase. In the baseline, participants infrequently emitted novel behavior and emitted inappropriate statements. When the script procedure was introduced, all participants emitted novel behavior and appropriate behavior more often than during baseline with fewer inappropriate statements. These gains were maintained in the script removal and return to baseline conditions. Three out of four participants continued to emit novel behavior during follow up probes. These results indicate that the script procedure without fading was useful for increasing novel behavior and appropriate statements.
Behavioral Interventions, 2020 · doi:10.1002/bin.1699