Speech Teaching

Critical skills, sequences, and procedures

to improve vocal responding

Barbara E. Esch, Ph.D.

[email protected]

National Autism Conference

Pennsylvania State University
July 31, 2013

Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and

Esch Behavior Consultants, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and

Esch Behavior Consultants, Inc.
All Rights Reserved

MUSCLE
MOVEMENT

Reinforcing
value of those
Speech sounds
speech sounds
produced
increases

It sounds
“right” Observes sound

Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and

Esch Behavior Consultants, Inc.
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1
 Stimulus Stimulus Pairing Procedure

SR
ma ma ma
Sr
+

ma ma

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Video

Speech training
Where to start?

  Train Verbal Skills

Establish preference
For people (discriminated vocalizations)
Mand
For voices
Tact
Echoic
Increase vocalizations Intraverbal
Frequency
Loudness (dB)
Variability

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 Early speech learners Sophisticated talkers

Non-algorithmic
Intraverbal VB problem solving
math word probs, remembering
Tact
Complex
language
Mands Elem ops
(vocal)

1 Self-
Echoic
Echoic echoic

Operants
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Typical beginning sound-making

Imperfect, but lots of “raw material”

Varied forms (lots of different sounds)

Easy to shape
Reinforced
Fluency leads to rapid speech

ECHOIC
tact

intraverbal
mand

Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and

Esch Behavior Consultants, Inc.
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Video

3
 The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment
and Placement Program (VB-MAPP)
Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D.

VB-MAPP Milestones
Key: Score Date Color Tester
Child's name 1st test:

Echoic Date of birth 2nd test:

3rd test:

LEVEL 3
Vocal Mand Tact Listener VP/MTS Play Social Writing Reading LRFFC IV Group Ling. Math

15

Imitation 14

Play 13 Skills by 48 mos

12

Social 11

Request
LEVEL 2
Mand Tact Listener VP/MTS Play Social Imitation Echoic LRFFC IV Group/CR Ling.

Label
10

Listener, early & advc’d 8 Skills by 30 mos

7

Answer/ask questions 6

Group/class routines Mand Tact Listener VP/MTS Play

LEVEL 1
Social Imitation Echoic Vocal

Linguistic 5

VP/MTS 3 Skills by 18 mos

Reading, Writing, Math
2

Key: Score Date Color Tester

Child's name 1st test:
Date of birth 2nd test:
3rd test:

LEVEL 3
Mand Tact Listener VP/MTS Play Social Writing Reading LRFFC IV Group Ling. Math

15

14

13

12

11

Skills by 30 mos
LEVEL 2
Mand Tact Listener VP/MTS Play Social Imitation Echoic LRFFC IV Group/CR Ling.

10

“Baby  talk”  
9

LEVEL 1
Skills by 18 mos Mand Tact Listener VP/MTS Play Social Imitation Echoic Vocal

3 Vocal  prac)ce  
2

1
ECHOIC

4
 Video

Key: Score Date Color Tester

Child's name 1st test:
Date of birth 2nd test:
3rd test:

LEVEL 3
Mand Tact Listener VP/MTS Play Social Writing Reading LRFFC IV Group Ling. Math

15 Skills by 48 mos
Conversation 14

13

12

11

Skills by 30 mos
LEVEL 2

Speech phrases 10
Mand Tact Listener VP/MTS Play Social Imitation Echoic LRFFC IV Group/CR Ling.
ECHOIC

True words 9

Jargon “baby talk” 7

Connected strings 6

Multi-syllables Mand Skills by 18 mos

Tact Listener VP/MTS Play
LEVEL 1
Social Imitation Echoic Vocal

Varied syllables
ECHOIC

Repeated syllables 3

Simple syllables 2

Varied loudness
1

Varied pitch
Varied duration
Vowels

After 3 After 6 After 9 After 12 After 18

BIRTH

mos of mos of mos of mos of mos of

practice practice practice practice practice

Mostly vowel
sounds Can control
• Pitch Can
• Loudness reduplicate
• Duration syllables

Consonants
added to Jargon
vowels “Baby-talk”
True words
but still
lots of
articulation
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Video

Speech teaching issues

No real speech  Need more vocals to work with

Few vocals Informal Formal
Play activities that pair adult SSP, Voc Variability
No echoic speech with fun (look-at-me Track voc baseline
activities like Peek-a-boo) (freq & topography)

Some weak speech  Reinforce current form as mand

But not under VB control  Improve form through echoic

Speech under VB control  Improve form through echoic

But artic is unclear Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and 17
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What’s the speech requirement for...

Echoic Vocal Mand

Precision. Intelligibility.

If weak, shape. If weak, reinforce

current “best.”
Or model an easier response
This allows you to
& reinforce.
reinforce precision.
Continue echoic work.

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 Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and
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[wɛlkəәm tu ðʌ wɝkʃɑp]

[glæd ju kʊd kʌm təәde]

[lɛts hæv sʌm fʌn wɪθ fəәnɛtɪks]

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Phonetics Cue Card

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 Practice

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Starting a speech program

 Identify available sounds

 Test ECH of available sounds

 List potential reinforcers

 Identify speech targets

 Program a high # of daily ECH trials and

 Program a high # of daily MAND trials

 Modify (upgrade) targets

Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and

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Starting a speech program

 Identify available sounds (several options for how to)

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 Vocalization Baseline
Sample Form

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Speech Target Selection Worksheet

Sample Form

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Starting a speech program

 Test ECH of available sounds

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 The Early Echoic Skills
Assessment (EESA)
Group 1 Simple and reduplicated syllables

Group 2 2-syllable combinations

Group 3 3-syllable combinations

Group 4 Prosody in phrases

Group 5 Prosody: pitch, loudness, duration

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1st Priority

Vocalizations Vowels & Diphthongs

Duration Loudness Pitch /a/ /i/ /u/

2nd Priority
Simple syllables Syllables w/ blends
ba ba - ba ba - bi
st- sk- sp-
mi mi - mi ma - mi
-nt -lt -st
reduplicated alternated

3rd Priority
Voice-Voiceless distinctions

Sequence source: Ling, D. (1976)

EESA

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Starting a speech program

 List potential reinforcers

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go

up

juice

daddy

bubbles

Speech Target Selection Worksheet

Training Sequence Guide Available sounds Hi Pref Items Possible targets
(refer to v-c chart)

C V C V
1 Vowels
chips
2 Consonants (syllables)
b b
ee ee joos
CV or VC
CVC p?
juice
choos
3 Multi-syllables toos or shoos
Redup CVCV
t t oot or oos
Mixed Vs-Cs
music oo
4 Clusters
oo oo

Vowel-Consonant Chart
Vowels
ah ee oo
ih ay eh ae ("cat")
uh aw oh
ai oi au

Consonants
p, b, t, d, k, g
h, s, z, f, v, m, n Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and
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th, sh, ch, j, r, er, l, ng All Rights Reserved

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Starting a speech program

 Identify speech target syllables

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Syllables

Words

Sentences

Syllables Sounds Words

5 8 1

5 12 5

5 8 4

12
 Starting a speech program

 Identify speech targets

Match potential reinforcers with

syllables under ECH control

If syllables aren’t yet under ECH control:

• select ______________________________________________
• use procedures to increase overall voc frequencies (e.g., SSP)
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For possible targets, refer to:

 SAS Checklist
 Vowel-consonant charts

Then write bottom-to-top teaching formats

(If you need help, consult an SLP for specific targets)

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One possible hierarchy* for teaching “shoe”

sh-oo
soo
too
Start here oo
* Source: Kaufman Speech Praxis Treatment Kit for Children

13
 p  
b  
t  
d  
k  
g  
s  
z  
f  
v  

shoe  

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Starting a speech program

 Program a high number of daily ECH trials

and

 Program a high number of daily MAND trials

Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and

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Echoic-to-Mand Card
Sample Form

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 Starting a speech program

 Modify (upgrade) targets

As new reinforcers are ID’d

As speech skills are acquired

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Speech Acquisition Sequence

Checklist

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Speech Acquisition Sequence (SAS)

1 Vocalizations

2 Vowels

3 Consonants 1-syll combos

4 Consonants 2-syll combos

5 Consonant blends 1-syll combos

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 Q: Why teach vowels first?

Consonants: correct Consonants: wrong

Vowels: wrong Vowels: correct

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Vowel “Neighborhoods”

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Vowel-Consonant Card

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 Echoic Phrases List

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Video

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 Present? Vowels

Consonants

Correct?
Priority
Neighborhood
Alt
Any Establish
syllable(s) as

VB

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Decision Worksheet

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Shaping: reinforce the best “available” sounds

puzzle

Child can’t make target response

Reinforce “steps”
(easier responses)

puh
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 kæt Target syllable

t ʌ t Current syllable - “tuht”

Shell step 3 kaet

Shell step 2 taet
Shell
start pt “taht”

Target
vowel /a/

Closest
/a/
vowel
Vowel Wrong

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fiss for fish oos for juice ih for chip

f ɪ ʃ dʒ u s tʃ ɪ p
f ɪ s u s ɪ

ʃ p, b
k, g t d f, v
back   r tʃ l n
)p   m
dʒ th
ŋ s z w

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Analyzing errors to select targets

Says“uh” for /dɔɡ/

d ɔ ɡ
ʌ

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Says“uh” for /dɔɡ/
Is vowel correct?

No Yes
Is consonant correct?

No

(4) Shape unvoiced /k/ to voiced /g/

(3) Shape /d/ from /b/

(2) Add next missing consonant

placeholder

(1) Vowel in place; add consonant(s)

Copyright 2013 Barbara E. Esch and
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Speech instruction “errors”

• Disconnecting phrase components

– I. Want. Cookie.

• If they can’t repeat the phrase syllable #, you need

easier mand approximations & work on echoic
syllables

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• Echoic model too-high or unnatural pitch

• Overemphasis on consonant precision (distorts the signal)

Dog-guh “k-dy” (‘candy’) mmmmmm-ah

• Unnatural separation of sounds

buh-loo (blue) chuh-air (chair)

• Repeating phonemes & reinforcing non-functional segments

C-c-c-c-candy buhhh-uh-uh-bles

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• ECH drill, without a plan for mand application

• Multiple speech teachers

• Setting specific ECH targets too early

– a range of targets might contact reinforcement more

easily

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water “wadder”

21
 Ice cream

aɪ s k r i m

aɪ s k r i m

aɪ w a n t aɪ s k r i m p l i z

Mommy and Daddy

mɑmiɛndædɪ

mɑmiɛnkedɪ
Mommy and Katie

22
 Co-articulation
Mommy and Daddy
mɑmiɛndædɪ

back of n front
tongue k d tongue tip

mɑmiɛnkedɪ
Mommy and Katie

Tongue placement to produce any sound

is affected by requirements of
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Co-articulation
Mike’s cat may not stay

m aɪ k s k æ t m e n ɑ t s t e

back of s s front
tongue k t tongue tip

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Early speech training

Summary

If low vocal frequency, low If consistent echoic responses

variability, occur (even if topographically weak)
weak or no echoic
Do mand training
Select temporary 1. Reinforce all early vocal mand attempts
response mode 2. Set 1st targets at “low bar” - raise bar
Big 5 criteria as sequential targets are M’d
3. Reinforce any vocals near current target

Develop strong MO for

people & things Shape echoics (precision)
to support mand training

Increase vocals
Frequency & Variability
SSP & Voc Var
In play, fun interactions
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