Emergence of expresive and receptive relations in the training of numbers and letters in children diagnosed with Autism

Abstract

Conditional discrimination training is considered as one of the most effective learning processes to teach children diagnosed with autism in labelling, i.e., object, attribute and concept designation. This discriminative learning can take place in two symmetric modalities: receptive and expressive. In the receptive modality an auditory-visual discrimination is required; in the expressive modality the child has to do a visual-auditory discrimination. The present work shows the results of two single-case experimental studies with a double objective: in one hand, to evaluate the relative acquisition rate from one modality another (receptive vs. expressive). In the other hand, to test the possible emergence of the symmetric relationship when just one is trained. Data are discussed in terms of the theory of symmetric responding and also integrated in the clinical practice, given its potential of learning facilitation.