The effects of multiple exemplar and intensive tact instruction on the acquisition of Naming in preschoolers diagnosed with autism and other language delay

Two experiments were conducted to isolate instructional histories sufficient to lead to the emergence of Naming in preschoolers diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Experiment I compared Single Exemplar Instruction (SEI) and Multiple Exemplar Instruction (MEI) on the emergence of Naming for 2-Dimentional and 3-Dimentional stimuli, using a combined experimental-control group and nested single-case multiple probe design across 8 participants. Experiment II tested the effects of the Intensive Tact Protocol on the emergence of Naming and mands, tacts, sequelics and "Wh" questions emitted in 3 non-instructional settings (NIS) using a multiple probe design across 3 preschoolers. The results of the first experiment demonstrated that instructional histories that involve the rapid rotation of speaker (tacts) and listener (matching and pointing) responding resulted in the emergence of Naming. Also, the results showed that all the students who acquired Naming with 3-D stimuli generalized the stimulus control to 2-D stimuli without direct instruction. The Intensive Tact Protocol (second experiment), which involved increasing students' tact instructions by 100-tact learn units above the daily learn units students were receiving, resulted in significant increase in numbers of independent vocal verbal operants emitted by the target students in NIS and also acquisition of a full Naming repertoire. I discuss why and how these two different procedures resulted in the emergence of a full Naming repertoire.