eccles- The employment of the behavioural techniques of Skinner is the only way that some people will learn anything- ever. In the case of autism especially the results, which can be stunning*, and to dismiss it as attention-seeking is really nonsense. For a person with autism the last thing in the whole universe that he/she wants is to have attention drawn to him/her. You would have more chance of success by building a promise to ignore into the programme.
It is true that while we initially learn a language as a baby we effortlessly can learn any language at all. I have a bi-lingual son-in-law who has also learned 3 other languages to fluency as an adult. We all know of people like that, obviously there is something about learning a language as a child that is very different from doing so as an adult, where unless we live in the country concerned, we will employ the techniques of Skinner rather than those of Chomsky.
This is an argument that continues, and the theory that language is learned by immersion in everyday life has been responsible for the perceived belief that children nowadays can't spell or write coherent prose. Certainly the behaviourists have not won the first round!
* OK I know that is unscientific!
Oh and welcome eccles- as a thinking atheist!
Last edited by Ellis; 08/18/09 06:22 AM. Reason: could not resist saying "Hello eccles!"
