ABLLS & Apraxia is the ?

[Guest guest]

I am looking for opinions & experiences on how they collaborate or

contradict. Is it possible to score a child with apraxia with the

ABLLS? Can the vocal im, spontaneous vocals, labeling etc be

modified? Anyone have feelings about this??

I am desperate for opinions from all point of views. Is it the

general consensus from behaviorists that verbal apraxia is not really

a true issue?

Thanks ahead of time and I am not trying to stir a pot just looking

for different point of views! You can email me privately if you

prefer@: dailytrials@...

[Guest guest]

Hi,

My point of view , which I hope is not out of line.

Vocals are verbal behavior, but my understanding is that so is signing

and writing.

I think that it depends on what the targeted goal/skill " really " is

functionally vs how it looks on the surface --spontaneity? point to

point imitation? tacting/ID of a noun, verb or other labelable entity,

etc.? If clearly someone can not vocalize but can demonstrate the

above using signing (or other augmentative system, depending on the

skill (and parsing whether that particular system truly meets the

stated goal or might constitute some other skill or prompt)) then the

specific criteria of mastery/ability should be able to be modified to

represent that reality. Clearly hearing challenged students who rely

on sign exclusively both as listener and speaker can demonstrate the

ability to tact, spontaneously request, imitate/ " echo " another signer,

etc. That doesn't mean that a goal of VOCAL imitation would not be

pursued if that makes sense or is in a " work in progress " , but

conversely it doesn't make sense, to me at least, to hold a student

back if one form of verbal behavior is being sought, but is only very

emergent or very difficult vs. another which may be currently more

functional. " Officially " vocal im is vocal im, but some of the other

functions, at least from my point of view, do not need to demonstrated

exclusively by speech.

I'll leave the consensus question on apraxia to the professionals, but

pragmatically, there are clearly people for whom the motor ability of

speech emerges relatively easily under the right conditions of

motivation and reinforcement...and others who don't and need many,

many, many hours of intensive practice using precise strategies to

painstakingly get there. The latter situation would indicate to me

something definitely " real " , no matter what someone's philosophy.

If you feel really " stuck " on this question, I would contact someone

over at Behavior Analysts Inc., the developers of the ABLLS, and pose

the question to them. I'm pretty sure that they would know what the

point is.

Just my point of view,

Regina F.

>

> I am looking for opinions & experiences on how they collaborate or

> contradict. Is it possible to score a child with apraxia with the

> ABLLS? Can the vocal im, spontaneous vocals, labeling etc be

> modified? Anyone have feelings about this??

> I am desperate for opinions from all point of views. Is it the

> general consensus from behaviorists that verbal apraxia is not really

> a true issue?

> Thanks ahead of time and I am not trying to stir a pot just looking

> for different point of views! You can email me privately if you

> prefer@: dailytrials@y...

>