Top-Down Attentional Processing and Relational Density Evident in Word Search Performance of Children.

Relational frame theory and extensions (e.g., relational density theory; Belisle & Dixon, 2020a, 2020b) provides a behavioral model for top-down attentional processing, where attention is oriented in terms of arbitrarily applicable verbal relations through the transformation of stimulus function. Children's games may provide a strategy for testing transformations of stimulus function when developing new language skills, such as when working with children with autism. Three children with autism underwent relational training to establish lean and dense arbitrary classes. Prior-to relational training, participants were more likely to locate familiar words over unfamiliar words within a word-search task. Following relational training, participants were more likely to locate words that participated in high-density relational classes over neutral or low-density relational classes. These results support the use of common games to supplement relational training with children with autism and provide evidence that top-down attentional processing may involve transformations of stimulus function and can be predicted and influenced through relational training to establish high-density relational classes.

Using Relational Training to Improve Performance During Acceptance and Commitment Training Sessions.

The current study investigated the effect of relational training on improving engagement during acceptance and commitment training (ACT) sessions that aimed to reduce maladaptive behavior. Three female children diagnosed with autism participated in the current research. The relational training protocol involved eight programs designed to improve participants' ability to engage in relational responding. A concurrent multiple-baseline across-participants design was used, and participants' maladaptive behavior during ACT sessions was recorded. Results indicated a decrease in maladaptive behavior for one of the three participants, with a medium to large treatment effect. A secondary measure also showed improvement in all three participants' performance during ACT sessions. The percentage of nonoverlapping data and Cohen's d suggest a small to moderate treatment effect. Implications for implementing ACT with individuals diagnosed with autism are discussed.

Transformation of Hierarchical Multiply Controlled Verbal Relations in Children With Autism in a Game of I Spy.

We evaluated the development of mutually entailed arbitrary hierarchical relations and associated transformations of stimulus function across 3 children with autism in a game of I Spy. Top-down hierarchical relational training was efficacious in establishing 4 relational categories (A) containing a total of 5 stimuli (B), where 3 of the stimuli were contained in 2 different categories. Following relational training, all participants demonstrated a transformation of function by identifying the stimuli when provided a multiple verbal stimulus with two category names during I Spy. The procedures were adapted from the PEAK Relational Training System.

Teaching "Then-Later" and "Here-There" Relations to Children with Autism: an Evaluation of Single Reversals and Transformation of Stimulus Function.

The present study demonstrates the utility of relational training for teaching Then-Later and Here-There deictic relations for two children with autism. Mutually entailed single-reversal relations, transfers of stimulus function, and transformations of stimulus function were also evaluated for each participant. The methods were adapted from the PEAK-T curriculum. Results for both participants support the utility of relational training for teaching children with autism basic perspective-taking skills. Both participants were able to generalize the perspective-taking skills to novel sets of stimuli, and demonstrate mutually entailed responding during single-reversal tasks. Both participants were also able to demonstrate transformations of stimulus function for both Then-Later and Here-There deictic relations.