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/Intro to Echoics
Intro to Echoics
Intro to Echoics
Intro to Echoics

Intro to Echoics

Below is a general skill sequence for introducing your learner to the first stages of echoics.

This skill area utilizes the use of visuals to aid the learner in engaging echoic behaviors. The echoic targets in this skill sequence are some of the first sounds a learner may make. Further, these sounds incorporate a facial imitation component. The learner will likely need to be fluent in following gestures (proximal points) and various forms of fine motor imitation for this area.

How this skill area relates to your assessments!

This skill area aligns with various assessments and their respective domains, with milestone and domain codes provided for reference. Additionally, DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Autism are included to help clinicians identify how this skill area potentially supports medical necessity in relation to the diagnosis.

VB-MAPP (Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program)

  • Echoic, E 1-M, Scores at least 2 on the EESA subtest.
  • Spontaneous Vocal Behavior, SVB 1-M, Spontaneous emits an average of 5 sounds each hour. (timed observation 60 minutes)

AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)

  • Basic Skills, BS1, Follows simple verbal directions

DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria for Autism

  • A1, Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.

CDC’s Developmental Milestones

  • 9 months, Language/Communication Milestones, Makes different sounds like “mamamama” and “babababa”

Treatment Plan Goal Ideas

Treatment plan goal ideas for this particular skill area are as follows:

Learner will accurately echo five sounds when a visual is provided with a modeled sound.

Learner will accurately echo five sounds when a modeled sound is provided.

Learner will accurately echo ten sounds when a visual is provided with a modeled sound.

Learner will accurately echo ten sounds when a modeled sound is provided.

Component Skills

Your learner may need to be fluent in these component skills first before introducing this goal/skill area. Component skills for this skill sequence may include skill areas that are fundamental to other areas. Fluency in the skill areas listed below may increase the likelihood that your learner will succeed in this skill sequence and those afterward.

Following GesturesFollowing GesturesImitates Actions with Preferred ItemsImitates Actions with Preferred ItemsImitates Actions During Familiar RoutinesImitates Actions During Familiar RoutinesImitation with Uni-Functional ToysImitation with Uni-Functional ToysImitates Gross Motor ActionsImitates Gross Motor ActionsImitates Fine Motor ActionsImitates Fine Motor ActionsImitates Oral Motor ActionsImitates Oral Motor Actions

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to echo. Note that every learner is different and that you likely will need to tweak and vary some programming to their needs. Click the triangle icon to view the full description for each skill in the sequence/area.

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#1 Echoes “Ahh” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘ahh’!”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#2 Echoes “Ahh”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘ahh’”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

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#3 Echoes “Mmm” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘mmm’!”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#4 Echoes “Mmm”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘mmm’”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

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#5 Echoes “Ooo” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘ooo’!” (as in the “ooo” sound that rhymes with too, coo, boo, etc.)
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#6 Echoes “Ooo”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘Ooo’” (Rhymes with coo, too, boo, etc.)
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

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#7 Echoes “Lll” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘Lll’!” (stick your tongue out to create visual salience)
  3. Learner should echo the sound an “L” makes.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#8 Echoes “Lll”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘Lll’” (the sound an L makes)
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

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#9 Echoes “Eee” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘Eee’!” (make the “cheese” face you would make for a picture to make the visual more salient)
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.
  • Hold the pose for 3-5 seconds.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#10 Echoes “Eee”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘Eee’”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

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#11 Echoes “Buh” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘Buh’!”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#12 Echoes “Buh”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘Buh’”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

‣
#13 Echoes “Puh” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘Puh’!”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.
  • Make the visual a little more salient by smacking the lips together when making the “p” sound

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#14 Echoes “Puh”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘Puh’”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

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#15 Echoes “Hah” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘Hah’!”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#16 Echoes “Hah”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘Hah’”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

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#17 Echoes “Ooo-ahh” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘ooo-ahhh’!”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.
  • Hold each syllable 3-5 seconds if necessary.
  • Exaggerate each syllable so that lips protrude forward for the “ooo” sound etc.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#18 Echoes “ooo-ahh”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘ooo-ahh’”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

‣
#19 Echoes “ahh-eee” w/visual

How to Run

  1. With a mirror present, direct the learner to look into it with you.
  2. Therapist should point to their mouth and say “Say ‘ahh-eee’!”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.
  • Hold each syllable 3-5 seconds if necessary.
  • Exaggerate each syllable so that mouth makes an exaggerated smile for the “eee” sound.

Materials

  • Hand Mirror.
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#20 Echoes “ahh-eee”

How to Run

  1. With the attention and motivation of the learner.
  2. Instruct them to “Say ‘ahh-eee’”
  3. Learner should echo the sound.
  4. Reinforce accordingly.

Additional Notes

  • Reinforce approximations. The learner’s initial echo may be inaudible or a whisper at first.

Materials

Concurrent Skills

Working on these skills at the same time could help with goal mastery. Maybe your learner has mastered these skills already. Perhaps they are already listed as component skills above. That’s okay! Targeting other learning channels might help your learner.

Imitates Oral Motor ActionsImitates Oral Motor Actions

Imitates Fine Motor ActionsImitates Fine Motor ActionsEchoic-to-Mand TransfersEchoic-to-Mand Transfers

Composite Skills

These are the possible next steps for learners who have mastered, or are mastering, the skills listed above. Note that new skill areas may require fluency in other component skills not listed above. Also, you can introduce composite skill sequences prematurely to keep your learner progressing, as generativity may occur earlier than expected.

1 Syllable Echoics1 Syllable Echoics

Follow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.

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Research and Resources
How a component analysis can reshape the way you introduce skills to your learners

The difficulties in coming up with the right programs for your learner can be endless. Very few BCBAs know about or understand the utility in using a little thing called component analysis and how it can help them out in their goal writing. A component what?

flatrockweekly.substack.com

How a component analysis can reshape the way you introduce skills to your learners
Full Circle: A Strategy to Keep Learner Programs Moving

Here is the important, second half of my first post on component analysis. A composite is a larger skill that is produced from two or more smaller component skills. Basically, a skill made up of other skills. It's a blending of all the mastered, component skills before it.

flatrockweekly.substack.com

Full Circle: A Strategy to Keep Learner Programs Moving
  • Elizabeth R. Lorah, Shawn P. Gilroy, Philip N. Hineline, Acquisition of peer manding and listener responding in young children with autism, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 8, Issue 2, 2014, Pages 61-67, ISSN 1750-9467, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.10.009.
  • Kaitlin G. Causin, Kristin M. Albert, Vincent J. Carbone, Emily J. Sweeney-Kerwin, The role of joint control in teaching listener responding to children with autism and other developmental disabilities, Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, Volume 7, Issue 9, 2013, Pages 997-1011, ISSN 1750-9467, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2013.04.011.
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Disclaimer

Consistent with ethical obligations outlined by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB), users acknowledge that goal selection/direction is the responsibility of the BCBA. Users understand that goals should be tailored to the learner while ultimately involving the input of clients/stakeholders. Users understand their ethical obligations to the client/stakeholder concerning the selection, implementation, design, and minimization of risk regarding behavior change interventions as outlined in BACB Code. As such, this skill sequence serves as a general framework for generating ideas around this particular skill area and not as an assessment or curriculum.

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