Verbal Behavior in ABA: Definition, Operants, and Examples

Why a learner says a word changes how a behavior analyst shapes the treatment plan. A learner who says "Bubbles" to get the bubble wand needs a different plan from one who says "Bubbles" while pointing at bubbles drifting past.

In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), behavior analysts plan around that difference using verbal behavior, a framework that helps determine whether a learner should practice requesting, labeling, or conversation first.

Below, we describe verbal behavior in ABA and walk through its four core operants. We then look at how Verbal Behavior therapy teaches these operants and what the research says.

What’s the definition of verbal behavior in ABA?

Verbal behavior in ABA is language treated as a learned behavior and sorted by its function: what it achieves for the speaker, or what it responds to.

B. F. Skinner, the behavioral psychologist whose research on reinforcement underpins ABA, laid out this idea in his 1957 book Verbal Behavior. He argued that speaking, signing, and writing follow the same laws of reinforcement as any other behavior: certain consequences make them more likely to happen again.

A Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) categorizing verbal behavior looks past the word itself and asks what's driving it, such as a request, a description, or an answer to a question. A learner pointing at a swing and saying "Up" is doing something different from a learner answering "Up" when asked which way a rocket flies, even though the word matches.

In practice, this framework becomes Verbal Behavior (VB) therapy, a teaching approach used inside many ABA programs to build a learner's language.

How does Verbal Behavior therapy work in ABA?

VB therapy works by teaching language one function at a time, in an order determined by a learner's assessment results and their motivation moment to moment.

Motivation plays a central role early on. A BCBA identifies what a learner wants in the moment, then uses that motivation to prompt and reinforce the learner’s first attempts at asking for it.

Many programs teach requesting (called manding) early. A 2024 review of 45 mand training studies found that most had effectively manipulated the learner's motivation and delivered the exact item requested as reinforcement.

To build accuracy along the way, clinicians commonly use shaping, rewarding closer attempts at a target word, alongside discrimination training, which helps a learner tell similar sounds or items apart. 

As accuracy improves, prompts get faded so the learner doesn't come to depend on them.

Deciding what's next for a specific learner usually starts with a standardized verbal behavior assessment, like the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VB-MAPP) or the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R).

These tools map expected language milestones and help a BCBA set the next target in a learner's skill acquisition plan.

In a 2024 study of 33 autistic learners, researchers found that ABA interventions including requesting and labeling training had led to improvements on 11 of 13 VB-MAPP scales, as well as every scale of the earlier ABLLS edition. The improvement was marked between two assessments taken 6 months apart. This was a small look-back study, though, and the authors say confirmatory studies are still needed.

What are the core types of verbal behavior in ABA?

The core types of verbal behavior in ABA are called verbal operants. Skinner sorted language into these categories by the job the words do.

The table below covers the four core operants, and the full list includes textual responses (reading aloud) and transcription (writing down spoken words).

Each operant is taught and reinforced differently: A mand pays off with the item the learner asked for, while a tact usually earns praise or attention.

A learner might master requesting long before they learn to label objects, so tracking each operant separately keeps progress clear.

Does Verbal Behavior therapy work?

Yes, VB therapy has been linked to gains in communication for autistic learners. A 2021 systematic review of seven studies found positive effects from teaching mands, echoics, and intraverbals, and mand training also reduced challenging behaviors.

Still, a skill demonstrated reliably in the clinic doesn't always show up at home or school on its own. Multiple exemplar instruction means teaching a skill with different settings, materials, and people. This approach helps the learner generalize their language skill and produce responses that were never taught directly.

A VB program tracks generalization progress, alongside which operants a learner has mastered and how much prompting they still need. The BCBA uses this record to decide which operant to work on next and when to fade support further.

Track verbal behavior in ABA with Passage Health

A VB program only holds up if the data behind it is clear, consistent, and specific: which operant was targeted, what prompt level was used, and whether each response was correct. Passage Health keeps that data in a single ABA-designed platform, alongside the scheduling, billing, and reporting that keeps your clinic running.

In practice, that means:

• Session data on mobile: Behavior technicians record each response and prompt level in our mobile app during the session, and the note's data section fills in as they go. Session timers can be set to start automatically for frequency, duration, and rate targets.
• Graphs and treatment reports: Graphs build from session data on their own, with phase lines added when a target changes phase. Customizable treatment reports pull those graphs together for reauthorization.
• Scheduling: Our enhanced, color-coded calendar shows each client's or team member's day at a glance and supports easy reassignments. Staff with the right permissions can also create and edit events on the mobile app.
• Billing and insights: Batch claim creation includes built-in scrubbing that flags issues before submission. Reporting tracks authorization utilization across your caseload.
• Intake and admin controls: Our Client Intake pipeline helps prospective clients move from first inquiry to active status. Custom permissions set access by role, including who can give each type of session note signature.
• Support as you grow: Every practice gets 1:1 onboarding, our Frontera AI integration adds clinical AI features, and we release new features every quarter.

Book a demo to see how Passage Health can support your verbal behavior programs, from a learner's first mand to full conversation.

Frequently asked questions

What's an example of verbal behavior in ABA?

An example of verbal behavior in ABA is a learner saying "Shoes" to ask for their shoes before going outside, which is a mand. Naming a shoe in a picture book is a tact, and it counts as verbal behavior, too, though the reason for saying the word is different.

Who created the verbal behavior approach used in ABA?

B. F. Skinner introduced verbal behavior as a framework in his 1957 book Verbal Behavior. Behavior analysts later turned his verbal operants into VB therapy and language assessments like the VB-MAPP.

Is Verbal Behavior therapy the same as ABA?

No, though Verbal Behavior therapy is a teaching approach used in ABA programs. It applies core ABA principles, like reinforcement and prompting, to language and communication goals specifically.

What are the four main types of verbal behavior?

The four main types of verbal behavior are mands (requests), tacts (labeling), echoics (spoken repetition), and intraverbals (keeping a conversation going). Lists of six types add the two literacy operants: reading aloud and transcription.

Why does verbal behavior focus on function?

Verbal behavior focuses on function because we can say the same word for different reasons, and each reason needs to be taught differently. A learner who says "Ball" to get a ball rolled over and one who names a ball in a picture are doing different things, so a BCBA teaches each as its own target.

References

Balbino, E. M. S., Lisboa, M. F. L. S., de Oliveira, N. C. S., et al. (2021). Efeitos do ensino do comportamento verbal para pessoas com transtorno do espectro autista: Uma revisão sistemática [Effects of teaching verbal behavior to people with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review]. Distúrbios da Comunicação, 33(4), 651–658. https://doi.org/10.23925/2176-2724.2021v33i4p651-658 

LaFrance, D. L., & Tarbox, J. (2020). The importance of multiple exemplar instruction in the establishment of novel verbal behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 53(1), 10–24. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.611

McCammon, M. N., Wolfe, K., & Check, A. R. (2024). A review of the environmental variables included in mand training interventions. The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, 40(2), 345–378. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40616-024-00211-9

Peterson, T., Dodson, J., Hosey, T., et al. (2024). The effects of applied behavior analysis on verbal behavior with autistic individuals using the Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (VBMAPP) and the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS). Cureus, 16(3), Article e57041. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.57041 

Skinner, B. F. (1992). Verbal behavior. B. F. Skinner Foundation. https://www.bfskinner.org/product/verbal-behavior/ (Original work published 1957)