The easiest way to remember what a mand is is to think of it as a comMAND from the learner. Its is essentially a request from the child. A learner will mand for an item, activity or information when motivation is high.

For example, if a child is consuming something salty, they will become thirsty and say “water”. They are requesting water because the want for water is high from the consumption of something salty.

Another example would be a child who wants to go on a slide. The child will say “slide” and the parent or therapist will take the child to the slide.