We received a question from a member on echolalia and scripting and wanted to share our thoughts in this episode. They were wondering if there were any practical tips to help reduce scrolling responses, as their current treatment methods weren’t working. First, it’s important to identify if the behavior is associated with specific operants. Therapist responses are important to note as well. With imitation, if we’re not doing enough mixing and varying, the student may resort to the one action they’re most comfortable with. When we add variety, the student is forced to look and imitate, reducing the scrolling.

To prevent scrolling, we typically start with a set of two or three labels or actions at a time. With error correction in verbal scrolling or echolalia, reduce the number of targets until the child masters a few before moving on. Age is also an important factor, as many young mainstream children don’t have a lot of intraverbals either. We cover the two reasons echolalia happens and how we can prevent and treat it. It all comes down to good teaching, considering the child’s skills, using the right error correction procedures. 

What’s Inside:

• How to address echolalia and scrolling with students.
• How to use error correction procedures.
• Why echolalia happens and how to treat it. 

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