Effects of echoic teaching combined with basic reading repertoires on word naming in children with intellectual disabilities

Abstract

The basic discriminative repertoires may be considered important prerequisite for reading acquisition. This study investigated the influence of the gradual teaching of discriminative repertoires prior to reading on the acquisition of this skill in children with intellectual disabilities, emphasizing the echoic teaching combined with fi gure naming. Participants were two children with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities, with diffi culties in vocalization. Relationships between stimuli were taught based on the selection of fi gures and printed words when presented with dictated words; and between stimuli and responses, such as echoing according to the dictated word, picture naming and constructing the printed word. After this teaching procedure, the naming of printed words and the equivalence relations between printed word and picture and vice versa were tested. Their performances in the emerging relational tasks increased from a mean of 45% correct evaluated in the pre-Test to the mean of 77% correct in the posttest. Participants who had previously null repertoires of word naming started reading. Echoic teaching could assist in more accurate naming of printed words and the gradual teaching of basic relational skills of naming provided the expansion of this repertoire.