Bidirectional Naming in Children with Autism: Effects of Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure and Multiple Exemplar Instruction

ABSTRACT: This study compared the efficiency of Multiple Exemplar Instruction (MEI) and Stimulus Pairing Observation Procedure (SPOP) for establishing bidirectional naming (BiN) in four children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. A multiple probe design was used between pairs of participants. One participant showed emergence of complete BiN after having undergone the two experimental treatments (first SPOP, then MEI). Two participants demonstrated emergence of the listener component after undergoing SPOP treatment. During the final naming test, two participants demonstrated emergence only for the BiN listener component, and one participant showed an increase in both components in relation to the baseline. The efficiency of treatments in isolation, when presented in sequence, is discussed, in addition to the importance of using reinforcing stimuli in the BiN acquisition process.