The Effects of Applied Behavior Analysis on Verbal Behavior With Autistic Individuals Using the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VBMAPP) and the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS).

Tami Peterson, Jessica Dodson, Tiffany Hosey, Robert Sherwin, Frederick Strale
Author Information
  1. Tami Peterson: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, The Oxford Center, Brighton, USA.
  2. Jessica Dodson: Applied Behavior Analysis, The Oxford Center, Brighton, USA.
  3. Tiffany Hosey: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, The Oxford Center, Brighton, USA.
  4. Robert Sherwin: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, USA.
  5. Frederick Strale: Biostatistics, The Oxford Center, Brighton, USA.

Abstract

Introduction  Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a fundamental practice-based intervention for treating autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Few studies have directly measured and evaluated the effects of ABA on verbal behaviors, mainly using the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VBMAPP) and the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS) as outcome measures. This study aims to fill this gap by examining the relationship between ABA interventions and the enhancement of verbal skills, as measured by the VBMAPP and the ABLLS, in a convenience sample of individuals with ASD.  Materials and methods At The Oxford Centers (TOCs) in Brighton and Troy, Michigan, USA, 33 individuals with autism received treatment from January 2018 to July 2021, spanning 43 months. A pretest-posttest design was employed to retrospectively examine any impacts between ABA interventions and alterations in verbal scores among individuals with ASD. Depending on developmental age, all subjects underwent two verbal assessments with a six-month interval in-between. Twelve children were administered the VBMAPP, while 21 were given the ABLLS. Results Paired t-tests for pretest and posttest VBMAPP subscales resulted in statistically significant effects (p<0.05) for (VBMAPP - Mand), (VBMAPP - Tact), (VBMAPP - Listener Responding), (VBMAPP - Visual Perceptual Skills and Matching-to-Sample), (VBMAPP -Independent Play), (VBMAPP - Social Play), (VBMAPP - Motor Imitation), (VBMAPP - Spontaneous Vocalization), (VBMAPP - Intraverbal), (VBMAPP - Group Behavior), and (VBMAPP - Linguistic Structure). As measured by Cohen's d, effect sizes were moderate to mostly high (-0.623 to -1.688). There were non-significant results (p>0.05) for (VBMAPP - Listener Responding by Feature, Function, and Class) and (VBMAPP - Echoic). Paired t-tests for pretest and posttest ABLLS subscales resulted in statistically significant effects (p<.05) for all ABLLS scales: (ABLLS - Receptive Language), (ABLLS - Requests), (ABLLS - Labeling), (ABLLS - Intraverbals), (ABLLS - Spontaneous Vocalizations), (ABLLS - Syntax Grammar), (ABLLS - Social Interactions), and (ABLLS - Generalized Responding). As measured by Cohen's d, effect sizes were moderate to mostly high (-0.656 to -1.372). Conclusions  The administration of ABA treatments had a noteworthy influence, with statistically significant impacts on improving verbal behaviors on 11 of the 13 VBMAPP scales and all of the ABLLS scales. As measured by Cohen's d, effect sizes were moderate to high for both scales. These findings underscore the importance and effectiveness of ABA interventions in enhancing verbal skills in children with ASD. However, it's crucial to note that further confirmatory studies are required to verify the reliability of these original findings, emphasizing the ongoing need for research in this field.

Keywords

References

  1. J Autism Dev Disord. 1987 Jun;17(2):187-200 [PMID: 3610995]
  2. Front Psychiatry. 2021 Oct 27;12:744709 [PMID: 34777048]
  3. Cureus. 2024 Feb 1;16(2):e53372 [PMID: 38435191]
  4. Cureus. 2024 Jan 4;16(1):e51654 [PMID: 38318543]
  5. J Autism Dev Disord. 2001 Jun;31(3):315-25 [PMID: 11518484]
  6. Anal Verbal Behav. 1999;16:45-8 [PMID: 22477157]
  7. Behav Res Methods. 2007 May;39(2):175-91 [PMID: 17695343]
  8. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars). 2018;78(1):21-29 [PMID: 29694338]
  9. Behav Modif. 2001 Oct;25(5):698-724 [PMID: 11573336]
  10. Cureus. 2024 Feb 1;16(2):e53371 [PMID: 38435164]
  11. Cureus. 2024 Feb 13;16(2):e54109 [PMID: 38487117]
  12. J Autism Dev Disord. 1992 Jun;22(2):141-53 [PMID: 1378049]

Word Cloud

Created with Highcharts 10.0.0-VBMAPPABLLSverbalABAmeasuredBehaviorbehaviorautismASDAssessmenteffectsVerbalLanguageSkillsinterventionsindividualsstatisticallysignificant05RespondingCohen'sdeffectsizesmoderatehighscalesAppliedanalysisspectrumdisorderstudiesbehaviorsMilestonesPlacementProgramBasicLearningskillsimpactschildrenPairedt-testspretestposttestsubscalesresultedListenerPlaySocialSpontaneousmostly-0-1findingsresearchIntroduction fundamentalpractice-basedinterventiontreatingdirectlyevaluatedmainlyusingoutcomemeasuresstudyaimsfillgapexaminingrelationshipenhancementconveniencesample MaterialsmethodsOxfordCentersTOCsBrightonTroyMichiganUSA33receivedtreatmentJanuary2018July2021spanning43monthspretest-posttestdesignemployedretrospectivelyexaminealterationsscoresamongDependingdevelopmentalagesubjectsunderwenttwoassessmentssix-monthintervalin-betweenTwelveadministered21givenResultsp<0MandTactVisualPerceptualMatching-to-Sample-IndependentMotorImitationVocalizationIntraverbalGroupLinguisticStructure623 to688non-significantresultsp>0FeatureFunctionClassEchoicp<scales:ReceptiveRequestsLabelingIntraverbalsVocalizationsSyntaxGrammarInteractionsGeneralized As656372Conclusions administrationtreatmentsnoteworthyinfluenceimproving1113underscoreimportanceeffectivenessenhancingHowevercrucialnoteconfirmatoryrequiredverifyreliabilityoriginalemphasizingongoingneedfieldEffectsAnalysisAutisticIndividualsUsingabllsappliedasdpatient-centeredoutcomesskinnervbmappmilestones

Similar Articles

Cited By