Clinical Application of a High-Probability Sequence to Promote Compliance with Vocal Imitation in a Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder

The team worked with one 3-year-old who had autism. The child often refused to copy speech sounds.

They used a high-probability sequence. First they gave three quick motor imitation tasks the child already liked. Then they asked for a vocal imitation. They tracked if the child copied the sound.

The high-p motor burst raised vocal imitation compliance across three sets of sounds. The child copied more sounds after the easy motor warm-up.

Carr et al. (2003) showed the same motor priming trick can spark first words in non-vocal preschoolers. Hansen et al. (2019) moves that idea forward by showing the tactic also boosts compliance with vocal imitation.

Waldron et al. (2023) later took the high-p sequence into classrooms. They found it helps young autistic students start hard academic tasks. The clinic success in Hansen et al. (2019) held up in real school routines.

Fullana et al. (2007) seems to disagree. Only 1 of 3 preschoolers responded to high-p requests; the other two needed extinction. The difference: Hansen’s child had autism and the refusal was skill-based, while A et al.’s kids had escape-driven non-compliance. Same tool, different function, different result.

If a learner with autism dodges vocal imitation, open with three motor copies they already do. This quick warm-up can turn "no" into "yes" without extra rewards or escape extinction. Try it next session: clap, stomp, touch head, then model the sound you want.