Teaching metaphorical extensions of private events through rival‐model observation to children with autism

Abstract

The study evaluated the efficacy of observational learning using the rival-model technique in teaching three children with autism to state metaphorical statements about emotions when provided a picture, as well as to intraverbally state an appropriate emotion when provided a scenario and corresponding metaphorical emotion. The results provide a preliminary evaluation of how an observational teaching strategy may be effective in teaching children with autism to correctly tact emotions when given metaphors.

The effectiveness of the peak relational training system and corresponding changes on the VB‐MAPP for young adults with autism

“…A final limitation was the homogeneity of the participants in the investigation. Participants were between 19 and 21 years of age, were male, and had low PEAK‐DA pretest scores relative to prior investigations on PEAK‐DT (e.g., Dixon et al, ; McKeel, Rowsey, Belisle, et al, ). It remains to be seen if the results would be replicated with participants who have higher preinstructional language and communication skills or are older than those in the current study.…”

“…This finding is potentially important because, despite the increasing complexity of the target skills over the course of the study (i.e., once skills were mastered, the skills were replaced with more complex skills), participants continued to master skills at a consistent rate. An additional limitation common in prior investigations (e.g., Dixon et al, 2017; that was addressed in the current investigation was the inclusion of a maintenance probe following training. Furthermore, the results suggest that each of the participants not only maintained the target skills following 23 days without exposure to PEAK-DT, but also demonstrated the acquisition of skills that were not directly targeted.…”

“…Results reported by McKeel, Rowsey, Belisle, et al () showed that the procedures described in PEAK‐DT were efficacious in teaching two children with autism to correctly demonstrate basic autoclitics, receptive metonymical tacting, and expressive identification of planet names, and one child with autism receptive metonymical tacting, expressive metonymical tacting, and guessing. Dixon et al () extended upon these findings by showing that participants can also learn to tact the private events of others metaphorically by observing a rival‐model undergoing PEAK‐DT instruction. Although these studies support the use of procedures described in PEAK‐DT to establish these seven skills, support of PEAK‐DT as a CTM would require that: (a) the entire assessment‐to‐treatment model prescribed in PEAK‐DT was implemented (i.e., the assessment is used to select target skills for intervention), and (b) broader domains of skill acquisition were demonstrated, rather than merely the acquisition of single skill targets.…”

“…Through PEAK-DT, learners progress through increasingly complex verbal operant skills guided by the PEAK-DTA. Prior research has supported the effectiveness of the procedures described in PEAK-DT in teaching target skills in single-case evaluations (Dixon, Belisle, Munoz, Stanley, & Rowsey, 2017;McKeel, Rowsey, Belisle, et al, 2015) as well as in a randomized controlled evaluation . Results reported by McKeel, Rowsey, Belisle, et al (2015) showed that the procedures described in PEAK-DT were efficacious in teaching two children with autism to correctly demonstrate basic autoclitics, receptive metonymical tacting, and expressive identification of planet names, and one child with autism receptive metonymical tacting, expressive metonymical tacting, and guessing.…”

Rational skepticism: A scientific review of Witts' (2018) criticisms of the PEAK relational training system

“…Witts () provided a review of some current research on the PEAK Direct Training Module (PEAK‐DTM; Dixon, ) that offered a different perspective from an initial review of the module by Reed and Luiselli (), and a more recent review of research on all four PEAK modules by Dixon, Belisle, McKeel et al (). Witts advocated for a skeptical view of the current research, stating “a skeptical analysis is required when claims regarding assessment and treatment seem to oversell or misrepresent the data” (p. 721).…”