The Science Behind Give Me a Voice

Differential Reinforcement is the conceptual basis for how the reader is instructed to promote both initial skill acquisition with each augmentative communication system and how to encourage verbal speech development.

Both forward and backward chaining are used to teach the reader how to chain sequentially based skills such as mobile device navigation or learning how to type/text.  How to create a task analysis in order to support the mastery of a sequentially based skill is also discussed with the reader.

Give Me A Voice also focuses on active strategies for the reader to implement after the learner emits a target behavior.  Most specifically, the concept of timely and consistent delivery of reinforcement contingent upon the learner engaging in a target behavior is provided to the reader with multiple examples throughout the step-by-step guide.

One of the fundamental concepts within Give Me A Voice is how parents and clinicians can increase a learner’s overall motivation to communicate.  Specific strategies and step-by-step directions are given to the reader on how to create these motivating operations and how to avoid creating an abolishing operation. All of these active strategies work together to maximize a learner’s motivation which is the only way to help them reach their true potential.

The Matching Law is also discussed in multiple sections and utilized as a concept to help the reader understand how to encourage verbal speech development through the use of augmentative communication.

Shaping is used widely within Give Me A Voice as the recommended strategy to help a learner acquire new skills.  The process of how to use shaping is discussed in depth in multiple sections through the use of various real life examples.

All teaching strategies describe how to effectively fade prompting in order to promote independence and guard against long term prompt dependence.  Transfer trials are discussed throughout the book as a way to allow the learner to perform the skill independently in response to the natural descriptive stimulus in the environment.