The effects of an auditory match-to-sample procedure on listener literacy and echoic responses.

Abstract

We tested the effects of an auditory match-to-sample (MTS) procedure in 2 experiments. In Experiment 1 the dependent variables were (a) following spoken instructions (listener literacy), and (b) clarity of echoic responses. Four elementary school students with autism participated. In Experiment 2, we added a dependent variable: (c) preference for listening to recordings of a variety of adult voices. Three elementary school students served as participants, 2 diagnosed with autism and 1 diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). During the intervention sessions, a computerized auditory MTS slide displayed 3 circles on a computer screen. Touching each circle produced a spoken word or phrase. The participants were taught to match words or phrases when correct and incorrect matches were available. Participants mastered the auditory MTS procedure for words or phrases. We used a delayed multiple probe design across participants in Experiment 1 and a multiple-probe design in Experiment 2. In both experiments, the training resulted in improvements in listener literacy and clarity of echoic responses. Moreover, in Experiment 2, the number of intervals for listening to recordings of adult voices increased for all participants, suggesting a relation between conditioned reinforcement for voices and listener and speaker responding.