What Is Expressive Communication in ABA Therapy?
Expressive communication is how a learner sends messages to other people. It includes spoken words, signs, gestures, picture exchange, written words, and the use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. In Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), expressive communication is one of the most heavily targeted skill areas, especially for young children with autism and others who are minimally verbal or delayed in language development. The complement to expressive communication is receptive communication—understanding what others say or sign—and the two skill sets develop together but are taught and measured separately.
Behavior analysts often think about expressive communication through B.F. Skinner’s framework of verbal behavior, which categorizes expressive responses by their function rather than their form. Asking for a cookie when you want one is functionally different from labeling a cookie when you see one, even though the spoken word is the same. This functional view shapes how the team teaches expressive skills: they break communication into specific operants like mands (requests), tacts (labels), and intraverbals (responses to others’ language) and teach each one explicitly.
Research consistently shows that early expressive communication is one of the most important predictors of long-term outcomes for children with autism. A 2021 study by Buzhardt and colleagues, published in the Journal of Early Intervention and available through PubMed Central at the National Institutes of Health, found that delays in expressive communication—including fewer gestures, single words, and multi-word combinations—are often detectable in toddlers who go on to receive an autism diagnosis. The authors note that earlier identification of expressive language delays creates earlier opportunities for intervention, which is associated with better developmental trajectories.
Expressive communication doesn’t require speech. A learner who points to a picture, presses a button on a speech-generating device, or signs “more” is communicating expressively. Contemporary ABA recognizes the full range of communication modalities and selects the one that best serves the learner’s needs and capabilities, rather than treating spoken words as the only legitimate goal.
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Examples of Expressive Communication in ABA Therapy
Example 1: Teaching a child to request preferred items
A behavior technician is working with a three-year-old client who currently uses crying and reaching to indicate what they want. The behavior analyst designs a program to teach the learner to use single-word requests for highly preferred items. The technician arranges the environment so the learner sees a desired snack but can’t reach it independently. When the learner attempts to grab, the technician models the word (“Cookie”) and reinforces any vocal approximation by giving the snack. Over weeks, the learner moves from approximations to clear single words to two-word requests (“More cookie”). The expressive repertoire grows because each request earns immediate access to what the learner wants.
Example 2: Building expressive communication with AAC
A behavior analyst working with a six-year-old client determines that a speech-generating device is the best fit for the learner’s expressive communication needs. The therapist and behavior technician teach the learner to navigate the device to request items, label pictures, and answer simple questions. They start with high-frequency core vocabulary (“I want,” “more,” “all done”) and expand into specific item names as the learner builds fluency with the device. For more on this approach to nonspeaking communication, see our blog post on what is nonverbal autism: dispelling the myths.
Example 3: Expanding expressive language beyond requests
A behavior technician is working with a seven-year-old client who has a strong manding repertoire but rarely uses language outside of requesting. The behavior analyst targets tacting (labeling things in the environment) and intraverbal responding (answering questions, completing fill-ins, holding back-and-forth conversation). The technician uses naturalistic teaching across daily routines: pointing out a dog walking by and waiting for the learner to comment, asking “What sound does a cow make?” during book reading, or starting familiar phrases for the learner to complete. Each new operant expands the learner’s expressive flexibility.
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Why Is Expressive Communication Important in ABA?
Expressive communication matters because it’s the foundation of self-determination. A learner who can express needs, preferences, and feelings can advocate for themselves, participate in decisions about their own life, and connect with the people around them. Without expressive communication, learners are dependent on others to interpret their behavior—and interpretations can miss the mark. Building expressive skills, in whatever modality fits the learner, expands their capacity to shape what happens to them.
Expressive communication is also closely tied to the reduction of interfering behavior. Many behaviors that families and behavior technicians working with the learner find difficult—tantrums, aggression, self-injury—serve communicative functions. A learner who can’t request a break may scream to escape a task. A learner who can’t request attention may hit a sibling to get a reaction. When the behavior technician teaches expressive communication that serves these same functions, the learner gains a more effective way to get what they need, and the interfering behavior often decreases as a result.
The expressive/receptive distinction matters because the two skills can develop unevenly. Some learners understand far more than they can express; others can produce words they don’t fully understand in context. Behavior analysts assess and teach the two repertoires separately, which is why expressive communication and listener responding appear as distinct skill areas on most ABA assessment tools. Targeting one doesn’t automatically build the other.
Family involvement is especially important for expressive communication goals. Families are the people the learner most wants to communicate with, and the home is where most expressive opportunities arise. The behavior analyst and therapist coach the family on how to create communicative opportunities, respond to early attempts, and reinforce expressive growth throughout the day. For more on what to expect from a contemporary ABA program, see our Q&A about ABA therapy for children with autism.
FAQs About Expressive Communication
What’s the difference between expressive and receptive communication?
Expressive communication is the sending side—how a learner produces messages for others (speaking, signing, pointing, AAC use). Receptive communication is the receiving side—how a learner understands messages from others (following instructions, identifying named objects, responding to questions). The two skill sets are related but distinct. A learner might have strong receptive skills and limited expressive skills, or the reverse. Behavior analysts assess and teach them separately.
Does expressive communication have to involve speech?
No. Expressive communication includes spoken words, manual signs, gestures, picture exchange, written language, and the use of speech-generating devices or other AAC. Contemporary ABA treats all of these as legitimate forms of communication, and the team selects the modality that best fits the learner’s needs and abilities. For some learners, AAC opens up communication that spoken speech never could; for others, AAC supplements early speech while spoken language develops.
How early can expressive communication be targeted?
Very early. Even infants and toddlers can be taught early communicative behaviors like joint attention, gestures, vocalizations, and early word approximations. Research on early intervention consistently shows that targeting expressive communication as early as possible produces better long-term outcomes. Behavior analysts working with very young children typically focus on prelinguistic skills first (eye contact, gestures, sound imitation) and build toward more advanced linguistic skills.
Will my child eventually develop speech if they start with AAC?
Outcomes vary considerably between learners, and research has consistently shown that using AAC does not delay or interfere with the development of spoken speech—a concern that some families raise. For many learners, AAC supports vocal communication by giving them a successful experience with communication that motivates further attempts. Whether spoken speech develops depends on many factors specific to the learner, and the team monitors progress across modalities to inform decisions about which forms of communication to emphasize over time.
How do behavior technicians measure expressive communication?
Measurement varies based on the specific goal. The behavior technician might count the number of independent mands (requests) per session, the number of different words a learner uses, the length of utterances, or the rate of communicative attempts across a play session. The behavior analyst designs the measurement system. Standardized assessments like the VB-MAPP (Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program) and the ABLLS-R provide structured ways to evaluate expressive skills across many domains. The team picks measurement approaches that match each learner’s current goals and program.
Key Takeaways About Expressive Communication
- Expressive communication is how a learner sends messages—through speech, signs, gestures, picture exchange, written words, or AAC devices.
- It’s distinct from receptive communication (understanding what others say), and the two skill sets are taught and measured separately.
- Behavior analysts often think about expressive communication through Skinner’s verbal behavior framework, categorizing responses by function (mands, tacts, intraverbals) rather than form.
- Early expressive communication is one of the most important predictors of long-term outcomes for children with autism.
- Expressive communication doesn’t require speech—AAC, signs, gestures, and other modalities are all legitimate forms that contemporary ABA targets.
- Teaching expressive communication is closely tied to reducing interfering behavior, since many such behaviors serve communicative functions the learner doesn’t yet have another way to express.
