Abstract

Participants were four 14-year-old adolescent boys with diagnosed autism spectrum disorder and 3 children without diagnosed learning disorders aged 5 to 11. Training trials to establish more/less relational functions for 2 stimuli (X and Y, respectively) were interspersed with training trials to establish comparative relations among 5 other arbitrary stimuli (i.e., A is more than B, B is more than C, C is more than D, and D is more than E). Subsequent tests showed a derived transformation of functions for 7 participants (i.e., derived more/less mands). Exemplar training was required with 2 children. An ABA design with 3 participants showed manding was controlled by trained relations.