How Manding Unlocks Communication in ABA Therapy

Why does one child point at the fridge while another pulls your hand to it? These everyday moments hold the key to one of the most fundamental skills used in ABA: Manding. In this post, we’ll explore how Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy helps children find their voice through manding.

What is Manding and Why Does it Matter?

Before a baby understands the concept of communication, their brain begins to associate certain actions with outcomes. Crying leads to being fed. Reaching leads to getting picked up. These are mands — signals or requests that express a want or need.

Mands are a type of verbal behavior children use to indicate what they need or want. “Verbal behavior” is any type of communication, not just speech, so mands can be spoken, signed, gestured, or even exchanged via pictures.

Unlike general speech, mands are tied directly to motivation as they’re requests based on a need in the moment. In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, strategic manding is a core focus to support meaningful communication. 

Why Manding is Important

Children with ASD often experience delays in speech and language development, limited understanding of social norms, and challenges with nonverbal communication. This communication barrier can result in frustration and, at times, challenging behaviors.

Manding provides a link between developing language skills and social communication. Mands can be used to signal something that is wanted or to express the desire for an action or situation to stop. For instance, the word “drink” signals thirst, while the sign for “stop” can help prevent an unwanted behavior. In fact, sign language is often one of the first manding techniques taught in ABA therapy.

Setting the Stage for Future Communication

Manding is often the first way a child learns that communication can get them what they want. It also sets the stage for later skills, such as labeling, asking questions, and holding conversations.

When children can’t express their needs or desires, they may become upset. This often results in maladaptive behavior — tantrums, aggression, meltdowns — that create frustration for both the child and the adult.

As children and caregivers build manding connections, context remains key. Motivation drives manding, so timing and situation matter. A child asks for a “banana” when they’re hungry, but they might not repeat the request using the term “banana” if they’re full. This doesn’t mean they’ve forgotten the connection between the word and the object. It means they’re no longer motivated. That second part of the connection takes time.

Why Manding is Important to ABA Therapy

Manding is more than just requesting — it’s the foundation for understanding that communication has purpose. It is a developmental and behavioral skill crucial in ABA Therapy. In ABA therapy, we teach this skill strategically so that children begin to understand that their words or actions can make things happen.

Effective manding increases independence and promotes social interaction. It also reduces frustration because the child feels understood.

Research supports the importance of manding, with studies claiming, “The mand repertoire is essential for early language learners and is therefore of clinical importance.” 

Let’s look at why manding works — starting with motivation.

Using Manding to Increase Motivation

Humans operate by motivation, whether it’s instinctual (survival) or intentional (like goal-setting). Children with autism are no different. But identifying what motivates them in any given moment can take a bit of work.

In ABA, the term used to describe the conditions that influence what a child wants and how strongly they want it is known as a motivating operation (MO).

For example, a glass of water isn’t a big deal until the child is thirsty. Thirst, in this case, is the MO. It increases the value of water as a reinforcer and the likelihood that the child will mand for it. This is a motivating operation in action.

Understanding each child’s motivators is critical in manding. No two children are the same, so what motivates one child may not work for another. 

Reinforcers Versus Motivators

Motivators and reinforcers are related, but they serve different functions. Reinforcers are things a child finds rewarding — an external consequence that increases the chance they’ll repeat a behavior. Motivators, on the other hand, are internal drives to perform an action. Reinforcers make that action more appealing. The underlying desire remains the motivator, but it can change based on the child’s thoughts and needs.

For example, if a child is motivated by a desire to win a game, the reinforcer could be verbal praise or a turn with a preferred toy. In this way, the motivator is the “why,” and the reinforcer is the “what happens after.”

Establishing and Abolishing Operations

MOs affect how powerful a reinforcer is. In ABA, we describe these shifts using two terms: 

• Establishing Operations (EO): These increase the effectiveness of a reinforcer by making it more desirable in the moment.

Example: A sticker with a favorite cartoon character may be more motivating when a child is especially interested in that character. If a caregiver presents that sticker at the right time, the child’s motivation to earn it may increase due to the EO.

• Abolishing Operations (AOs): These decrease the effectiveness of a reinforcer by reducing its value. 

Example: If a child is given extended access to a favorite toy, its novelty may wear off. This decreases its effectiveness as a reinforcer. For instance, if a child frequently screams to access the toy, providing free access might reduce the toy's value, leading to fewer tantrums over it.

How Manding is Implemented in ABA Therapy

When a child enters an ABA program, a licensed behavior analyst conducts an assessment to identify the child’s needs and strengths. From there, the analyst connects with the family and the child’s care team to set goals.

Early sessions focus on relationship building. Building rapport is the first priority. During early sessions, therapists identify potential reinforcers and develop personalized manding goals based on motivation and interest. 

Parents and caregivers play a crucial role here. Collaboration ensures that learning extends beyond the therapy room and into the home, where consistency helps reinforce new skills.

What Teaching Manding Looks Like

Although ABA therapists are trained and certified (BCBA) to assess and implement manding strategies, family members and caregivers play an equally vital role in reinforcing these skills at home.

The general process includes:

• The caregiver/therapist identifies motivators, such as a specific toy, during a preference assessment.

• The preferred items are placed within the child’s sight but out of reach, so the item can’t be obtained without a request. This step creates a “need.”

• Next, the child is prompted to request the item. The prompt can be a gesture, words, or other forms of communication.

• Once the mand is given, the item is immediately provided as positive reinforcement.

As the child learns to mand for specific items they can see, teaching progresses to requests for things out of sight and more complex language until full sentences are possible. Ultimately, the goal is to build independence so the child can ask for what they want without a prompt.

Part of this growth depends on data collection. At BehaviorSpan, our professionals use a system called BV-MAPP to track each student’s milestones. However, every ABA therapist’s approach to this step may be different.

Types of Mands

Depending on the child’s abilities and preferences, manding can take many forms. The range of mand types is one of the reasons manding works well for those with ASD. Mands can include:

• Vocal: The child makes requests through spoken words.

• Gestural: Gestures are used to ask for something (pointing, reaching).

• Sign language: Manual signs are used to make the request. These can be official sign language or actions that indicate the desired item or behavior.

• Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS): The child hands over a picture to make a request.

• Speech-generating devices: Computerized devices use touch screens, buttons, and other interfaces to generate speech. Speech-generating devices became widely recognized through their use by scientist Stephen Hawking. Today, they are often covered by insurance as Durable Medical Equipment for children with autism.

No single method is better than another — what matters is choosing what works for the child, and making sure all caregivers are trained to use it consistently.

How Manding Improves Communication Skills in Kids with ASD

Manding helps children with autism learn to communicate and interact with an outside world that can often feel overwhelming. Rather than feeling stuck and unable to express their needs and wants, a basic mand becomes a key that unlocks understanding. Recognizing the connection between a symbol (visual or verbal) and a desired action forms the foundation for building confidence and independence.

Once these two underlying factors are in place, a child is more likely to participate in social activities and choose to communicate with others. Eventually, manding can serve as the foundation for more advanced language and social skills.

How Manding Reduces Challenging Behaviors

Think of the last time you felt misunderstood or ignored.  Now imagine being a child who hasn’t yet learned how to ask for what they need. That frustration often turns into meltdowns, aggression, or withdrawal.

Manding offers an effective alternative. By giving children a clear way to communicate, we reduce the need for them to “shout” their way through situations.

Research shows that problematic behaviors decrease when children are taught manding skills and caregivers are trained to respond consistently. Studies also report that these procedures are “effective in increasing independent mands in children with autism… generalized across settings for three of the five children.”

How to Start Manding with Your Child at Home

Children with autism — and their families — often need extra support to feel safe, understood, and loved. But you don’t have to wait until you find an ABA expert to begin manding with your child at home.

Start by learning the prerequisites of mand training, such as motivators, reinforcers, and the different types of manding we’ve discussed here. You know your child best. Identify their favorite things (motivators), and create situations where those motivators are present but require a request to access. When your child reaches for or asks for the item using a vocal mand, provide it immediately as a reward.

Repeat these steps and gradually expand them to include different items and more varied responses based on your child’s communication abilities. If they’re thirsty, show them how to mand for a drink. Create verbal or gestural symbols that link to each item or action. Be consistent with reinforcers and rewards, and use different types of mands as appropriate.

Conclusion

As your child progresses, their needs will increase. You may notice setbacks, plateaus, and spikes in growth that can feel surprising and unpredictable. These are all normal on your journey of raising a child with autism spectrum disorder. 

Every small win matters — and you have the power to create them. 

Whether you're just getting started or facing new challenges, our BehaviorSpan team is here to guide you, support you, and celebrate with you every step of the way. 

Connect with us today by calling 720-206-9644.

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