Research Article Summaries

For clinicians and school-based behavior analysts working with children with ASD, this post addresses repetitive verbal behavior that looks like a request but may actually be attention‑maintained. It describes brief functional analysis methods and a practical, dignity‑focused treatment package—teach a short attention FCR, answer the first query, then place repeats on scripted extinction with planned generalization and thinning. The goal is to turn ABA data into clear, ethical decisions that reduce repetitive speech without shutting down communication.

For clinicians (BCBAs, SLPs, and other behavior analysts) working with children who produce very few vocal sounds, this review synthesizes 2015–2024 evidence on stimulus‑stimulus pairing (SSP) as a low‑demand method to increase vocalizations. It highlights which procedural variables matter, practical measurement targets, and how to structure short pilot tests so SSP is used thoughtfully rather than indefinitely. Emphasis is on using simple ABA data (vocalization rates, pre‑specified decision rules) to make clear, ethically grounded decisions about whether to continue, modify, or replace SSP.

For clinicians and behavior analysts who work with children with autism and difficulty reporting past events, this post summarizes a practical, low‑tech prompting routine. It describes using partial written cues within a short interactive turn‑taking task to increase accurate and varied reports, and shows how to record both accuracy and answer variety in your ABA data. Emphasis is on ethical implementation—fading prompts, reinforcing participation (not compliance), and using the collected data to guide clear, individualized clinical decisions.

For BCBAs, SLPs, and other clinicians teaching picture-based language, this post compares simple versus compound tact training to address the common problem of learners who can label a picture but can’t answer “who/what/where” questions about it. The study found no consistent winner; instead, how you arrange trials—rotating question types, varying visuals, using brief probes, and fading prompts—determines whether intraverbal-tacts emerge. Use these data-driven recommendations to ethically decide when to adjust probes or teaching procedures, or when to teach missing speaker skills directly.