The role of Precision Teaching (PT) in establishing intraverbal relations was explored in 2 ways. In the first study, the experimenters explored the role of PT in controlling for baseline levels of textual repertoires prior to transferring stimulus control from the text to the question. Experimenters assessed the impact of pretransfer fluency-based instruction on textual relations on the efficiency of transfer of stimulus control, maintenance, and generalization of intraverbal relations. Extending Emmick, Cihon, and Eshleman (2010), who also compared the effectiveness of 2 textual prompting procedures (with and without fluency-based instruction) on the acquisition of intraverbal relations, the current study incorporated time-delay (rather than stimulus fading) for transfer of stimulus control and used questions that shared similar stimulus features. Results indicate that textual prompts and transfer of stimulus control were effective in establishing intraverbal responses regardless of the inclusion of fluency-based instruction. In the second study, the experimenters explored component-composite relations between tacts and intraverbals. Specifically, the experimenters examined the effects of teaching thematically related tact responses to fluent levels on the emergence of thematically related intraverbal relations (e.g., what are some animals) using a multiple baseline across thematic clusters design. The results indicate that once a fluent level of responding for the target tact relations was achieved (evaluated through endurance and stability checks with later checks for retention), the participant was able to engage in the intraverbal relations without additional training. These data extend the research pertaining to developing intraverbal relations, fluency-based instruction and Precision Teaching, component-composite relations, and recombinative repertoires.

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In this discourse analytic study, we examine interactions between adolescents with autism spectrum condition (ASC) and their typically developing (TD) peers during the construction of fictional narratives within a group intervention context. We found participants with ASC contributed fewer narrative-related turns at talk than TD participants. The groups organized the activity as a means to subvert moral and social norms, and youth with ASC participated in negotiating new norms with varying degrees of success. Further, participants with ASC often prioritized making explicit links between narrative events over creative interpretations of narrative, which illustrated differing orientations to the narrative project. Our findings add an interactional dimension to existing research focusing on the psychological aspects of narrative production in individuals with ASC.