A preliminary analysis of teaching improvisation with the picture exchange communication system to children with autism.

Julie M. Marckel, Nancy A. Neef, & Summer J. Ferreri. (2006) A preliminary analysis of teaching improvisation with the picture exchange communication system to children with autism. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 39, 109-115.

Two young boys with autism who used the picture exchange communication system were taught to solve problems (improvise) by using descriptors (functions, colors, and shapes) to request desired items for which specific pictures were unavailable. The results of a multiple baseline across descriptors showed that training increased the number of improvised requests, and that these skills generalized to novel items, and across settings and listeners in the natural environment.

DESCRIPTORS: improvisation, problem solving, picture exchange communication system, augmentative and alternative communication, autism