Abstract
Study objectives: The present study evaluated effects of a stimulus-equivalence training procedure for teaching verbal behavior associated with 5 emotional states ("happy," "cheerful," "sad," "angry," and "afraid") to children with developmental disabilities and autistic tendencies. Design: The design used a multiple probe between stimulus-class sets. The first set was "angry" and "afraid"; the second set, "happy," "cheerful," and "sad." Setting: Training sessions were conducted in the classrooms of the participants' schools. Participants: Two 9-year-old male students with mild developmental disabilities who showed autistic characteristics. Intervention: The participants were trained to state the appropriate emotional word when given a situational sentence. Training used verbal praise, together with a prompt and withdrawal of sight-word cards. Measure: The percentage of correct responses to each sentence was measured. Also, scores of a test on stimulus-equivalence relationships were evaluated. Results: After the training was completed, both participants increased their percentage of correct responses on the generalization and equivalence tests. Conclusion: The results suggest effectiveness and efficacy of the stimulus-equivalence training for teaching verbal behaviors of emotion to children with developmental disabilities and autistic tendencies.
