The effects of sign language training with young children: The tact

Abstract

Thompson, McKerchar, and Dancho (2004) trained 3 typically developing children to sign using delayed physical prompting and reinforcement. Children in the Thompson et al. study exhibited a limited communicative repertoire consisting of a single mand displayed only under controlled experimental conditions. This investigation sought to expand the signing repertoires of 6 typically developing children and 3 children of atypical development by (a) teaching tacts, (b) teaching multiple signs with the same child, (c) evaluating whether the signs would occur under novel stimulus conditions, and (d) evaluating whether signs occurred under stimulus control of relevant events. Each child in Experiment 1 acquired signs using delayed model and physical prompting and reinforcement. Following training under experimental conditions, signing was measured and observed under novel stimulus conditions with 2 children, and signing was under stimulus control of relevant stimuli when assessed with 1 child. Experimental procedures were modified in Experiment 2 in an aim to decrease assessment length and increased the saliency of stimuli. Again, each of the 5 children acquired signs, 2 of 5 children signed under novel stimulus conditions and discriminated responding was observed with all 5 children.