Date of Award:
8-2026
Document Type:
Thesis
Degree Name:
Master of Science (MS)
Department:
Special Education and Rehabilitation Counseling
Committee Chair(s)
Audrey N. Hoffmann
Committee
Audrey N. Hoffmann
Committee
Thomas Higbee
Committee
Kimberly Snow
Abstract
Many children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) need support to learn how to communicate their wants and needs. This study examined three different ways to teach children to request preferred items or activities: using sign language, exchanging pictures, and speaking. We compared how three children learned each communication method to determine whether their existing skills influenced which method was most effective. No clear relationship was found between children's existing abilities and how well they learned each communication method. These findings suggest that selecting the most effective communication approach may require considering each child's individual strengths and learning history rather than relying on a single method for all learners.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
White, Christine, "Using a Prerequisite Skills Assessment to Identify Effective Communication Modalities for Mand Training" (2026). All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present. 860.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/etd2023/860
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