Use of a tactile prompt to increase social initiations in children with autism

Making appropriate verbal initiations to others is an aspect of social interaction that can be problematic for individuals with autism. A variety of teaching and prompting methods have been developed to address the issue including the use of a tactile prompt, a small device that can fit in the participant's pocket and can be programmed to vibrate at regular intervals. Our aim was to extend the existing research on the use of the tactile prompt by incorporating reinforcement during intervention and attempting a systematic fading of the prompt. Three children with autism participated in Study 1 and two children in Study 2. In both studies, the intervention was conducted during free-play activities with mainstream peers. Results indicated that the participants' verbal initiations to their peers increased in comparison to baseline. Additionally in Study 2, the use of both the tactile prompt and the prosthetic reinforcement were successfully faded. Implications regarding the use of covert prompting methods to help individuals with autism in the area of social interactions are discussed.