Tact instruction for children with autism spectrum disorder: A review

Abstract

Tacts facilitate social interaction, and a strong tact repertoire can lead to the development of other verbal operants. For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the development of a tact repertoire can reduce stereotypical and repetitive language and increase social communication, as functional language may reduce the amount of stereotypical vocal behavior that children engage in. However, teaching tact repertoires to children with ASD that maintain and generalize is difficult. The current study reviewed tact interventions for children with ASD from 2000 to 2019 to provide an overview of current tact interventions, their effectiveness, and the inclusion of intervention components that may promote maintenance and generalization of learned tacts in children with ASD. Fifty-one studies were included in the review. Of the studies that met criteria for effect size calculations 87.18% of the interventions showed excellent or high effect. Although many of the studies focused more on stimulus control to answer specific research questions, some studies implemented intervention components and procedures that could promote acquisition and generalization of learned tacts in children with ASD. We discuss implications and the need to increase research regarding tact intervention components that can increase generalization in children with ASD.

Effects of a Video-Based Intervention on Emotion Recognition for Children With Autism Who Have Limited Speech in China

“…For example, Wong had only simple spontaneous tacts (e.g., a “kuai” or “kai” sound is an approximation for “kuaile,” meaning “happy” in Mandarin Chinese), but his spontaneous tacts increased, and his performance on emotion recognition showed improvement. As suggested in previous review research, a strong tact can lead to the development of other verbal operants and facilitate emotion recognition and social interaction (Bak, Dueñas, Avendaño, Graham, & Stanley, 2021). In addition, we noted that our results are inconsistent with the study by Williams et al (Williams et al, 2012).…”

A Systematic Review of Emergent Learning Outcomes Produced by Foreign language Tact Training

“…Skinner ( 1957 , p. 83) considered the tact the most important verbal operant because mands, intraverbals, and listener relations often depend on the learner’s ability to reference a wide range of environmental stimuli (Sundberg, 2015 ). Consequently, a strong tact repertoire is vital to social and academic success (Bak et al, 2021 ; Lalonde et al, 2020 ). Foreign tact training involves teaching learners to tact environmental stimuli using appropriate foreign language referents.…”