Verbal Behavior, also known as VB, is a method of teaching language that focuses on the idea that a meaning of a word is found in their functions. B.F Skinner who published the book Verbal Behavior in 1957, believes that language itself can be broken down into smaller functions or behaviors that could be taught using behavioral interventions. 

 

To teach a child with language delays a meaning of a word, one must first teach its function. As an example, instead of just teaching a word, we must teach them how to functionally apply those words. For example, to have a child mention the word “cake”, a child has to see the cake and wants to eat it and say “cake” to teach its functions.