There are several million children in the US that have been diagnosed with some kind of disorder. The exact number is unknown but some people suggest that 3 – 5 % of children in the US have some kind of disorder, while others suggest the number may likely be closer to 6 – 9 %. When I talk about disorders I am referring to any of the following developmental disabilities or disorder such as Speech or Language Delays, Hearing loss, ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Auditory Processing Disorder, Autism, Down Syndrome, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Fragile X Syndrome, Mental Retardation or PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified). Children with these disorders often struggle with their language development. Many of them are completely non-verbal. You will often see problem behaviors such as tantrums, aggression or social withdrawal. These behaviors may sometimes become a child’s main form of communication.
In 1957 B.F. Skinner published a book called “Verbal Behavior” which details the functional analysis of verbal behavior. Most Verbal Behavior programs focus on teaching language skills following the concepts described in Skinner’s book. Skinner described language as a behavior between a speaker and a listener. He further explained that language could be grouped or broken into different operants, with each operant serving a different function of communication. The primary verbal operants are what Skinner termed the “mand”, the “tact” and the “intraverbal”. A mand is a request for an object or action such as “give me the ball”. A tact is a verbal response, comment or label produced in the presences of an object or action, such as “the ball is bouncing”. The intraverbal is a response to another person’s language without an item, object or person being present, such as asking a child “tell me something that bounces” and the child responds “a ball”. Intraverbals allow children to discuss things that are not present which is the basis of most conversations. This is the main goal of Verbal Behavior intervention.
While both typical ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) and VB (Verbal Behavior) use similar formats to work with children, it is said that VB attempts to capture a child’s true motivation to develop a connection between the value of a word and the word itself. In essence teaching the true function of language. Many therapists are now using techniques of VB to bridge some of the gaps seen in typical ABA therapy.
Verbal Behavior
There are several million children in the US that have been diagnosed with some kind of disorder. The exact number is unknown but some people suggest that 3 – 5 % of children in the US have some kind of disorder, while others suggest the number may likely be closer to 6 – 9 %. When I talk about disorders I am referring to any of the following developmental disabilities or disorder such as Speech or Language Delays, Hearing loss, ADD/ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, Auditory Processing Disorder, Autism, Down Syndrome, Dyslexia, Dyspraxia, Fragile X Syndrome, Mental Retardation or PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified). Children with these disorders often struggle with their language development. Many of them are completely non-verbal. You will often see problem behaviors such as tantrums, aggression or social withdrawal. These behaviors may sometimes become a child’s main form of communication.
In 1957 B.F. Skinner published a book called “Verbal Behavior” which details the functional analysis of verbal behavior. Most Verbal Behavior programs focus on teaching language skills following the concepts described in Skinner’s book. Skinner described language as a behavior between a speaker and a listener. He further explained that language could be grouped or broken into different operants, with each operant serving a different function of communication. The primary verbal operants are what Skinner termed the “mand”, the “tact” and the “intraverbal”. A mand is a request for an object or action such as “give me the ball”. A tact is a verbal response, comment or label produced in the presences of an object or action, such as “the ball is bouncing”. The intraverbal is a response to another person’s language without an item, object or person being present, such as asking a child “tell me something that bounces” and the child responds “a ball”. Intraverbals allow children to discuss things that are not present which is the basis of most conversations. This is the main goal of Verbal Behavior intervention.
While both typical ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) and VB (Verbal Behavior) use similar formats to work with children, it is said that VB attempts to capture a child’s true motivation to develop a connection between the value of a word and the word itself. In essence teaching the true function of language. Many therapists are now using techniques of VB to bridge some of the gaps seen in typical ABA therapy.
To learn more about Verbal Behavior click here.