Tag teach is a methodology that can be used to speed up skill acquisition in children
with autism.
In today's video blog, I'm discussing how to incorporate this into your child or client's
programming to get more effective skill acquisition.
Hi, I'm Dr Mary Barbera, autism mom board certified behavior analyst online course creator
and bestselling author of the verbal behavior approach.
Each week I provide you with some of my ideas about turning autism around, so if you haven't
subscribed to my youtube channel, you can do that now.
Today I'm sharing a small excerpt from podcast number 27 which is an interview with Theresa
McKeon discussing TAG teach.
You can check out the full episode@marybarbera.com/27 or click the card on the screen now.
Can you describe what TAG teach is, what it stands for, and tell me how it was used for
the gymnasts first because I think that's really interesting.
Yeah.
So TAG teach a stands for, it's an acronym, the TAGs an acronym for Teaching with Acoustic
Guidance.
And one of the things that I used with the gymnast was the clicker.
And in the beginning it was just this fun toy.
They all wanted to use it.
They all wanted to, what we call TAG.
Um, uh, put that acoustic mark to the other person.
And then one day one of the kids said, hey, my mom uses that with our dog.
And she said, you can't train us like a dog.
And I said, well, I am actually training you like a respectful teacher because all we were
doing was deciding as teachers what we wanted and then letting in a very quick nonemotional
way, letting them, the student know that they had performed the skill and then said, yes,
that's what we want.
Um, at the time I had originally tried to give them little chocolates or something,
but what I found was they'd say, wait, wait, wait, hold on, let me just do this again.
And I went, ah, success was what is reinforcing, right?
The, the success.
When you want to do something at the moment is the most reinforcing thing.
You want to do it again.
Now, if you're teaching people who don't want to learn, that's a little different scenario.
You have to work with different reinforcers.
But I was really lucky because the one thing they wanted to do was succeed and it's if
I could tell them that instant they succeeded, that that was just amazingly reinforcing.
They want to do it again and again.
So one of the things that sticks out for me when, when I heard your story of buying the
horse and then creating TAG teach to work with humans, so Teaching with Acoustic Guidance
is when they went to do a handstand and when they got their legs completely up to the right
position, that's when someone, you or another child could be watching them and they would
get up to the exact spot and then the click would happen.
The audible clicks so that they knew, yes, I got up to the very right position.
Because otherwise if you don't have that click, it's a very, you know, instant response.
You could only be there for a split second or if you're trying to do a trick like a round
off or a cartwheel or whatever your, your re you're marking or clicking for one behavior,
that is is really good.
So that was a good, you know, for our listeners out there and it would probably be better
with a video and showing them clicks and everything, which there's plenty of youtube examples of,
of TAG teach and there's,yeah, when, if they go, if they go to tagteach.com so that they
can see the, the videos that are, there are some videos out there that we did not put
out, but people said they were TAG teach videos so go to the website that the tag teach youtube
website and get the good video.
Sorry.
Just wanted to just, yeah, yeah, no, that's a good idea.
So the basically the power of just like you worked with your horse to, to mark or to click
one good behavior.
Um, it was, it was really breaking it down for the gymnasts and they were able to even
click each other, um, give, give feedback to each other instead of just, I think you
mentioned this too, instead of just, I don't know how old they were, say 10 years old or
10, 10 year old girls watching or really just chatting with their neighbor while they're
waiting for their turn.
They were actually focused on, this is my, my learner pair.
I need to watch Susie and give her the click when it at the appropriate time.
Yeah.
We call it peer tagging.
Yeah.
So they, you know, the peers are tagging each other and what we found was, is not only are
they not out bouncing off walls or trampolines or not paying attention, you know, I'm air
quoting, not paying attention, but they were focused on the very thing that they were then
going to have to do.
So they were mentally practicing it by watching and saying, yes, that was it.
And I knew that they could understand what they was going to be expected of them because
if they clicked at the wrong moment, the wrong skill, I went they don't know what I've asked
them to do, even visually to see it.
So how can I ask them to do it physically?
So it was a great skill for me to monitor whether, um, the athletes knew what they were
supposed to do and what position, what is vertical, right.
You know, or, or, or what is the 90% angle that I wanted and if they marked at the right
time or clicked at the right time, I knew that at least intellectually they knew or
visually they knew what the trick was.
Yeah.
I got double learning.
Double practice.
Yeah.
And I really, um, those are some of the things that stuck in my mind about the gymnast.
And I know we're here to talk about autism, but you know, it was really stuck in my mind
that visual of the girls chatting with each other versus really on point and marking each
other's behaviors.
And I think there are a few studies, gosh I have to go back and look, but I believe
there are at least 2 studies where with children with ASD, did peer tagging studies for social
skills, seeing when they would see somebody smile, they would tag, um, with, with each
other, with peers.
So I think there has been some work with, with people with autism.
So let’s transition.
How has TAAG teach then been used to help kids with autism?
Well, I'm going to veer off just slightly and say what's interesting to me personally,
and I'm not sure this would be what other people would say was it has helped people
with autism by helping parents or people who work with them to more clearly define what
it is they're looking for and to, uh, because it is that one mark, if you're going to click
it as a single instant that is that you're looking for.
So it helps the teachers say, okay, I'm only looking for one thing and I've already decided
what that is.
Ah, so it's a little calming and to me that's the most important part.
And then on the other side, the children are not getting mixed messages.
You're very clear about what, what you're looking for and what's acceptable and what
is going to be reinforced.
So some and it's a game.
It's fun.
Yeah.
Some of the things I know that I've used TAG teach with kids with autism including my son
is um, articulation, eye contact, handwriting, Um, really any, any skill.
We and I did a study and I presented, uh, at the ABA conference with you and it was
so funny because I had taken the online course, the TAG teach online course back in 2009 and
this is, you know, a couple of years after I wrote my book, I had been a behavior analyst
for 5 years and um, I had taken the online course because it seemed once I heard your
story about the gymnast and, and a lot of my clients at the time were completely non
vocal and not understanding directions.
And um, I was just like, how do I reach those kids quicker, more effectively, more efficiently.
And so I took the online course and I really, I really loved it back then.
I mean it was 10 years ago and I remember it was just very laid out.
It was not for behavior analysts, but it's now it’s really general, basic and general.
But it was so like, oh wow.
You know, cause sometimes we get a little too far ahead of ourself, but you know, teach
someone how to do a new skill.
So like so Spencer at the time was probably around 10 years old, like my typically developing
child.
And I was just like, all right Spence , I'm going to teach you how to tie a man's tie.
You know, I'm going to use this TAG teach, I want to teach you this.
And he goes, I'm not your lab rat.
And he walked away.
I'm like, are you serious?
He can go all the way back to Skinner then what?
I hope you enjoyed this short snippet from the podcast.
If you want more content, check out the podcas at marybarbera.com/podcast.
Wherever you're watching this, I'd love it if you would leave me a comment, give me a
thumbs up, share this video with others who may benefit, and for more information, you
can attend a free online workshop at marybarbara.com/workshop and I'll see you right here next week.