Lesson COG 38
Task: Respond to first name.
Prerequisites: ADT 1, COG 6
Concept: This skill is a beginning receptive language skill. Obviously, hearing abilities must be present for success. If there are doubts regarding the auditory process, a professional evaluation should be conducted. It is sometimes difficult to determine if the student is responding to his or her name or just the sound; therefore, more than one student should be involved in this exercise so that reinforcement can be given directly to the student whose name was called and modeling behavior is provided.
Behavioral Objective: When the student's name is called, the student will turn his or her head or otherwise physically demonstrate response to that word to a 90% accuracy level for 20 trials.
Materials: Any activity that is enjoyed by the student.
Task Analysis:
1. Perform the activity that is enjoyed by the student (see the materials section). During this activity, stop all action, call (or have another student call) the student's first name, and physically guide (if needed) the student's head toward the person who called the student's name.
2. Continue Step 1, gradually reducing the physical prompting that is needed and replacing it with a gestural prompt such as having an assistant point to the person who has called the student's name. (Note. If success is quickly obtained in this step but Step 3 is not easily obtained, a professional auditory evaluation may be needed.)
3. Reduce all visual cues to the student and provide only the student's name as the presenting stimulus. Note that on some occasions lack of response does not mean hearing difficulties but could relate to the student not having established a meaning to his or her name.
4. Include another strident or family member in the activity, providing a lot of attention to the person whose name has been called. Continue until the objective is met.