ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of Multiple Exemplar Instruction (MEI) within Deictic Relational Frame Training (RFT) on the relational responding of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A multiple probe design across behaviors was applied to a 6-year-old child with ASD. The intervention aimed to improve relational responding through deictic relational tasks ‘I-You,’ ‘Here-There,’ and ‘Now-Then’ targeting both simple and reversed relational performances. The results of the study are as follows: First, the intervention led to an immediate increase in response accuracy for both simple and reversed relation tasks across all deictic relations, successfully meeting the acquisition criteria. Second, generalization assessments revealed a stable transfer for the ‘I-You’ and ‘Here-There’ relations, whereas the ‘Now-Then’ relation demonstrated partial transfer. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that MEI within Deictic RFT is an effective strategy for enhancing perspective-taking behaviors, which function as derived relational responses in children with ASD. Furthermore, the study discusses the need for future research focusing on expanding the difficulty levels of Deictic RFT, utilizing diverse context-based MEI procedures, integrating interventions with social behaviors, and considering various age groups and developmental levels.

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