Using Concealed Public Accompaniments to Teach Individuals to Tact Intensity.

Sandhya and team worked with three adults. None had autism or other labels noted.

The goal was simple: teach them to say how strong a touch felt on a 1-5 scale.

Trainers gave a light, medium, or hard squeeze to each person’s finger. At the same time, a hidden device squeezed the trainer’s finger at the same force. The adult saw the trainer’s finger move, but not the device. This hidden match is called a “concealed public accompaniment.” After many pairings, the trainers faded their cue until the adult could label the intensity alone.

All three adults learned to call the squeeze “1,” “3,” or “5” with almost no errors.

When new spots like the wrist or shoulder were touched, or when a new “2” or “4” force appeared, they still gave the right number. The skill stuck without more teaching.

Cortez et al. (2020) and May et al. (2016) also used multiple-baseline designs to teach tacts, but they taught foreign words to preschoolers. The new study shows the same plan works for grown-ups and for private body feelings, not just pictures.

Rosenthal et al. (1980) warned that tacts taught in one setting rarely jump to new cues unless you train them. Here, intensity labels did jump to new body parts and untaught forces. The difference: Sandhya paired every private feeling with a public sign, then faded it. That extra step may explain the easy transfer.

Schroeder et al. (2014) urged clinicians to test if the opposite relation emerges after tact training. Future work could check if these adults can now pick the right squeeze when they hear “Show me a 3,” completing the circle.

Clients who can’t describe pain or pressure often get hurt or go under-medicated. This method gives you a road map: pair the hidden feeling with a visible event, fade the event, and keep the label. You can start Monday by squeezing a client’s hand while letting them see a sponge ball compress at the same force, then ask for a number. In a few short sessions you may have a reliable pain scale that travels to new places on the body.