American Music Therapy Association

The purpose of this course is to explore the use of music in treating children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) within Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Verbal Behavior (VB) approaches, and to augment the understanding of empirical mechanisms of language training techniques with music. The presenter will describe the theoretical orientation and major principles of ABA VB approach that resulted from Skinner’s (1957) analysis of verbal behavior for language training. Music’s suitability for incorporation with ABA VB approach is demonstrated in terms of its functions as an automatic reinforcement. This course will provide the theoretical and clinical implications for the use of music in ABA VB training by presenting various strategies for using music in language assessment and training.