​Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder affects approximately 1 in 31 8-year-old children in the United States, and an estimated 65% have moderate to severe language delays. Many learn new words only through direct instruction, which places a substantial burden on families and clinicians. Incidental bidirectional naming (inc-BiN) refers to acquiring listener and speaker responses to names through incidental exposure to object–name relations, without direct teaching. Establishing inc-BiN can reduce the instructional burden and accelerate vocabulary growth. This tutorial will introduce inc-BiN, describe how to assess it using a naming experience followed by speaker and listener probes, and explain how to interpret assessment results. Additionally, the tutorial will describe how to adjust clinical programming for word learning based on these results, including interventions to induce inc-BiN and instructional procedures that use the repertoire once it is present.

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Keywords: generative learning, incidental bidirectional naming, verbal behavior, word learning

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Objectives​​​

At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Define incidental bidirectional naming (inc-BiN) and describe its role in word learning.

2. Describe the procedures for assessing inc-BiN, including the naming experience and speaker and listener probes.

3. Select interventions or instructional procedures for word learning based on a learner’s inc-BiN assessment results.

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Speaker Bio

Xiaoyuan (Katherine) Liu, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Munroe-Meyer Institute, University of Nebraska Medical Center. She earned her Ph.D. in Special Education (Applied Behavior Analysis) from Teachers College, Columbia University. Across 12 years in public schools, ABA-based schools, and clinical settings in the United States and China, Dr. Liu has worked as a special education teacher, classroom BCBA, and case consultant, integrating behavior-analytic practices into classroom instruction, designing individualized curricula, and supervising graduate students pursuing teacher certification and BACB credentials. Her research examines verbal behavior in learners with autism, with a focus on incidental bidirectional naming and mand training, and stimulus equivalence. Her current work, funded by the Child Health Research Institute at UNMC, compares the effects of structured and natural naming experiences on the emergence of incidental bidirectional naming in children with autism.