By Matt Harrington, BCBA · Behaviorist Book Club · April 2026 · 12 min read

A Clinician's Guide to Derived Manding: Integrating Skinner's Verbal Behavior with Relational Frame Theory

Overview & Clinical Significance

The concept of derived manding represents one of the most promising intersections between Skinner's analysis of verbal behavior and relational frame theory (RFT). For children with autism whose communicative repertoires are limited, the ability to derive new mand functions without direct training for every stimulus has profound implications for the efficiency and scope of language intervention.

In the Murphy, Barnes-Holmes, and Barnes-Holmes (2005) study that this course centers on, mand functions were directly trained for two stimuli (A1 and A2) in three children with autism. These stimuli were then incorporated into relational networks through matching-to-sample procedures that established equivalence relations. The critical finding was that after establishing these relational networks, the children demonstrated manding for stimuli that had never been directly associated with mand training. The mand function derived through the relational network rather than through direct reinforcement history.

To appreciate why this matters clinically, consider the standard approach to mand training in ABA. A practitioner identifies items the child is motivated to obtain, teaches the child to request each item individually through prompting and reinforcement, and systematically expands the mand repertoire item by item. This approach works but is inherently limited by the number of items that can be individually trained. A child who can only request items that have been specifically trained has a restricted communicative repertoire that depends on the practitioner's capacity to identify and train every relevant mand.

Derived manding suggests an alternative path. If a child can be taught to relate stimuli to one another through equivalence classes, and if mand functions trained for some members of those classes transfer to untrained members, then a relatively small amount of direct mand training could yield a much larger functional mand repertoire. The clinical efficiency of this approach is considerable: train mands for a few items, establish relational networks that include additional items, and the mand function propagates through the network.

This research bridges two theoretical traditions that have often been treated as separate or competing within behavior analysis. Skinner's Verbal Behavior provided the functional analysis of language that grounds ABA language intervention. RFT extended the analysis of derived stimulus relations to explain how humans respond to stimuli they have never directly encountered based on their relational history. The integration demonstrated in this study suggests that these frameworks are complementary rather than contradictory, and that clinical practice can benefit from drawing on both.

Background & Context

Skinner's 1957 analysis of verbal behavior identified the mand as a verbal operant controlled by a state of deprivation or aversive stimulation and maintained by the specific reinforcement it produces. Unlike tacts, which are controlled by discriminative stimuli and maintained by generalized reinforcement, mands have a direct relationship between the response and its consequence. When a child says cookie and receives a cookie, the mand is maintained by the specific reinforcement of cookie access.

This analysis has been enormously productive for language intervention in autism. Mand training is typically among the first verbal behavior targets because it establishes communication as an effective tool for the child, building motivation to engage in further verbal behavior training. The functional emphasis of Skinner's analysis also guides practitioners to arrange motivating operations that make mand training more effective, a principle that has been thoroughly validated in the applied literature.

Relational frame theory, developed primarily by Steven Hayes and Dermot Barnes-Holmes, extends the stimulus equivalence research pioneered by Murray Sidman. Sidman demonstrated that when subjects learn to match A to B and B to C, they can derive untrained relations: B to A (symmetry), A to C (transitivity), and C to A (combined symmetry and transitivity). RFT argues that this capacity for derived relational responding is the core of human language and cognition.

RFT goes beyond equivalence to describe multiple relational frames, including frames of opposition, comparison, hierarchy, and temporal sequence. For the Murphy et al. study, the relevant frame is coordination (sameness), which corresponds to the equivalence relations in Sidman's research. When a child learns that A1 goes with B1 and B1 goes with C1, and the child can already mand for A1, RFT predicts that the mand function should transfer to B1 and C1 through the derived coordinative relation.

The integration of these two traditions has been contentious within behavior analysis. Some practitioners view RFT as unnecessarily complex or as departing from Skinner's approach. Others see it as a natural extension that explains phenomena Skinner's original analysis did not fully address, particularly the generativity of human language. The Murphy et al. study sidesteps this theoretical debate by demonstrating a practical clinical application: regardless of one's theoretical allegiance, if derived manding works with children with autism, it has clinical value.

The study's methodology is important context for clinical application. The researchers used matching-to-sample procedures to establish equivalence relations, which is a well-established training methodology in the stimulus equivalence literature. The mand probes tested whether children would spontaneously request stimuli that were members of the same equivalence class as directly trained mand stimuli but had not themselves been directly associated with manding. The positive results across all three participants provide preliminary evidence for the clinical viability of this approach.

Clinical Implications

Translating derived manding research into clinical practice requires attention to both the opportunities and the constraints that the research reveals. The primary opportunity is efficiency: if a child can derive mand functions for untrained stimuli through relational networks, practitioners can potentially build larger mand repertoires with less direct training time.

However, the prerequisite skills for derived manding are themselves significant clinical targets. To benefit from this approach, a child must be able to form equivalence relations through matching-to-sample training or similar relational training procedures. Not all children with autism demonstrate this capacity, particularly those with more limited repertoires. The clinical implication is that derived manding is not a replacement for direct mand training but a complement that becomes available once a child demonstrates the capacity for derived relational responding.

Assessing a child's readiness for derived manding instruction involves evaluating their current performance on matching-to-sample tasks. Can they learn conditional discriminations? Do they demonstrate symmetry and transitivity when tested? If so, they are candidates for a derived manding approach. If not, building the prerequisite relational repertoire becomes a clinical target that will eventually enable more efficient mand training.

The clinical protocol involves several steps. First, identify mand targets that can be organized into relational networks. For example, if a child is motivated by various foods, those foods can be grouped into classes with related stimuli (pictures, written words, packaging). Second, directly train mands for representative members of each class. Third, use matching-to-sample procedures to establish relational links between class members. Fourth, probe for derived manding by presenting motivating operations for untrained class members and observing whether the child spontaneously produces the appropriate mand.

Generalization of derived manding to natural contexts is a critical clinical question that the research has not yet fully addressed. Laboratory demonstrations of derived manding use controlled stimulus arrangements and systematic probes. Whether derived mand functions maintain and generalize in the less structured conditions of daily life requires careful monitoring. Practitioners implementing this approach should plan for generalization probes across settings, communication partners, and stimulus variations.

For children who struggle with equivalence class formation, recent RFT-based research suggests that relational training can be taught as a generalized operant. Programs like PEAK (Promoting the Emergence of Advanced Knowledge) provide curriculum sequences for building relational responding skills in children with autism. These programs can serve as feeders for derived manding by establishing the relational prerequisites that make the approach viable.

The integration of Skinner's verbal behavior analysis with RFT also has implications for how practitioners conceptualize language development more broadly. If mand functions can derive through relational networks, so potentially can tact functions, intraverbal functions, and other verbal operants. While the research base for derived tacting and derived intraverbal behavior is still developing, the theoretical framework suggests that relational training may accelerate language development across multiple operant classes.

Ethical Considerations

Implementing a derived manding approach with children with autism raises several ethical considerations that practitioners must navigate thoughtfully. The first concerns the evidence base. While the Murphy et al. study provides encouraging preliminary data, three participants constitutes a small sample. Ethical practice requires that practitioners represent the evidence honestly to families, neither overselling the approach as a proven breakthrough nor dismissing it as mere theory.

When discussing derived manding with families, transparent communication about the current state of the research is essential. Families should understand that this approach has demonstrated initial effectiveness, that it builds on well-established principles of stimulus equivalence and verbal behavior, and that it is being evaluated as a complement to rather than replacement for established mand training procedures. The principle of honest representation of professional work (Code 3.01) applies directly: practitioners should not claim that derived manding is a standard, fully validated treatment when the evidence base, while promising, remains preliminary.

Competence considerations are particularly relevant because derived manding draws on theoretical and procedural knowledge from both verbal behavior and relational frame theory. A practitioner whose training emphasized one tradition to the exclusion of the other may need additional training before implementing this approach competently. The ability to design matching-to-sample training, assess equivalence class formation, and interpret probe data for derived manding requires specific technical skills that go beyond general mand training competence.

The selection of clients for derived manding instruction must be guided by individual assessment rather than enthusiasm for the approach. Not every child with autism is a candidate, and implementing the approach with a child who lacks the prerequisite relational repertoire wastes clinical time and may generate frustration for the child and family. The ethical obligation to individualize treatment based on assessment data (Code 2.01) means that client selection should be based on demonstrated capacity for equivalence class formation, not on the practitioner's desire to implement a novel intervention.

Data collection and decision-making rules for derived manding instruction must be as rigorous as for any other clinical intervention. Practitioners should establish clear criteria for success at each stage: mastery criteria for direct mand training, accuracy criteria for matching-to-sample training, and probe criteria for evaluating derived manding. If a child is not demonstrating derived manding after adequate training, the practitioner should return to direct mand training rather than persisting with an approach that is not producing results for that individual.

The broader ethical implication of derived manding research is its potential to expand the communicative repertoires of children with autism more efficiently than current approaches. If validated through further research, this approach could enable children to develop larger mand repertoires in less time, increasing their independence and quality of life. The ethical imperative to provide the most effective treatment available creates an obligation to follow this line of research and consider its clinical implications as the evidence base grows.

Assessment & Decision-Making

Assessing a child's suitability for derived manding instruction involves a systematic evaluation of prerequisite skills, current mand repertoire, and relational responding capacity. This assessment informs the decision about whether to incorporate derived manding procedures, continue with standard mand training, or invest in building the relational prerequisites that would make derived manding viable in the future.

The first assessment component evaluates the child's current mand repertoire. How many items can the child currently request? Through what modality (vocal, sign, PECS, AAC device)? Under what motivating operations? How quickly does the child acquire new mands through direct training? A child who acquires new mands slowly through direct training has the most to gain from a derived manding approach, assuming the relational prerequisites are in place, because the efficiency advantage is greatest when direct training is costly.

The second component assesses conditional discrimination performance. Present matching-to-sample tasks at the appropriate difficulty level for the child. Can they match identical stimuli? Can they match non-identical stimuli when the relation is trained (arbitrary matching)? Do they demonstrate symmetry when tested (matching B to A after learning A to B)? Do they demonstrate transitivity (matching A to C after learning A to B and B to C)? Performance on these tasks determines whether the child can form the equivalence classes that derived manding requires.

If the child demonstrates equivalence class formation, the practitioner can proceed with a derived manding protocol. Select stimulus sets that include items the child is motivated to access. Train mands for representative members of planned equivalence classes. Then train the matching-to-sample relations that link class members. Finally, conduct mand probes for untrained class members under appropriate motivating operations.

Interpretation of probe data requires attention to both hits and misses. A child who derives mands for some untrained stimuli but not others may have formed incomplete equivalence classes, may need additional relational training, or may be responding to features of specific stimuli rather than class membership. Systematic analysis of which derived mands emerge and which do not can guide further training decisions.

If the child does not demonstrate equivalence class formation on initial assessment, the clinical decision is whether to invest in relational training as a foundational skill. This decision depends on the child's age, cognitive profile, current priorities, and the opportunity cost of allocating instructional time to relational training rather than other targets. For a young child with a limited repertoire, investing in relational prerequisites may yield long-term returns through more efficient learning across multiple domains. For an older individual whose current programming has well-established priorities, the opportunity cost may be too high.

Progress monitoring during derived manding instruction should track performance at each stage independently: mand training accuracy, matching-to-sample training accuracy, equivalence class formation probe accuracy, and derived mand probe accuracy. Monitoring each stage separately allows the practitioner to identify where the process breaks down if derived manding does not emerge, enabling targeted remediation rather than wholesale protocol changes.

What This Means for Your Practice

Derived manding offers a potentially powerful tool for expanding the communicative repertoires of children with autism, but it is not a standalone technique. It sits within a broader clinical context that includes standard mand training, relational skill development, and ongoing assessment of each child's readiness for more advanced procedures.

If you are currently providing mand training for children with autism, consider assessing their equivalence class formation skills. Even if you do not immediately implement a derived manding protocol, knowing whether a child can derive relations provides valuable information about their learning characteristics and future programming options.

Familiarize yourself with the theoretical basis of relational frame theory at a level sufficient to understand the clinical procedures. You do not need to resolve theoretical debates between RFT and other behavior analytic frameworks to use the procedures effectively. Focus on the practical question: can this child learn conditional discriminations, form equivalence classes, and derive new stimulus functions through those classes?

For children who demonstrate the prerequisites, pilot derived manding with a small number of carefully selected stimulus sets. Monitor results closely and compare the efficiency of derived manding to direct mand training for those specific targets. This within-client comparison will give you practical data about whether the approach adds value for the individual children you serve, which is more clinically relevant than any study conducted with different participants under different conditions.