Verbal Operants with Shira and Shayna

Today, we’re talking all about verbal operants, as they’re one of the most components parts of work in the field that are often quite confusing. We’ll show you what you might want to teach and in what order. Verbal operants can be tough to understand, especially when you’re new. There are so many components to language, above and beyond the words we’re saying. How we use and understand words play a huge role as well as actions, images, and how we absorb all the information and teach it to our students.

We’ll take you through each of the verbal operants and what they mean. Conceptual understanding of these operants is key. When we’re teaching these operants, especially at the intraverbal level, make sure the student fully understands to avoid getting simple scrolling responses. They’ll typically need to master some of the simpler operants first, like receptive or tacting. It’s not enough to teach all of the operants in isolation, so keep this in mind when developing a program. We wrap up by sharing our thoughts on the best way to teach operants so your instruction can be as effective as possible. We also touch on what to do if a student isn’t making progress.

Don’t forget to check out our free verbal operants guide by clicking the link below!

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