The effects of expressive modeling experiences on the observational learning of generative language by children with severe mental retardation was investigated. All six children (aged six-nine) demonstrated observational learning of responses modeled by their peers. Organizing the modeling experiences according to matrix-training principles…

Two individuals with severe mental retardation, participants in a supported employment program, were taught to use self-instruction in combination with multiple exemplar training to solve work-related problems. Use of the combined strategy resulted in generalization of self-instruction statements and correct responses to untrained problem…

Four high school students, including one with mild mental retardation and one with learning disabilities, completed a driver education curriculum that used direct instruction and precision teaching by peer tutors. Peer tutoring was associated with immediate increases in correct responding and a simultaneous and rapid deceleration of errors.…

A computer-assisted instruction program was used to teach spelling words to 5 learning-disabled or educable mentally handicapped students (ages 11-12) using a time delay procedure; manage content presentation based on individual student responding; and collect performance data. Four students learned the words, though maintenance varied.…

Co-workers of three job trainees with mental retardation used coincidental training procedures while completing their own jobs. Coincidental training resulted in improved accuracy of salad-making skills, but skill acquisition was very slow; subsequently, a model and a quality-control check were added, resulting in higher performance levels. (JDD)

This response to four papers on the nature of reinforcement focuses on the implications for application of theory to practice. The response addresses: reversibility of single-incentive selective associations; response deprivation, reinforcement, and economics; the substitutability of reinforcers; and delay reduction. (DB)

A 10-year-old autistic child was trained to imitate verbal prompts describing the child's motor responses. When intervention was introduced in the form of a gradual delay in the presentation of the verbal prompts, the child's spontaneous speech on trained items increased. Generalization and maintenance were analyzed. (Author/JDD)

Individualized self-monitoring checklists were developed for 3 learning-disabled students, aged 10-13; students followed the checklists as they completed their subtraction assignments. The procedures produced immediate gains in correct responding; when the checklists were removed and the previous incentives condition was reinstated, continued…

Three mentally handicapped students (aged 13, 36, and 40) with maladaptive speech received training to answer questions with verbal labels. The results of their cues-pause-point training showed that the students replaced their maladaptive speech with correct labels (answers) to questions in the training setting and three generalization settings.…

A classwide peer tutoring procedure was implemented in an urban elementary school classroom of 23 students, to improve students' spelling performance. Results indicated the untrained or collateral tutoring behaviors increased the academic response frequencies of three tutees and the weekly spelling achievement of one target tutee. (Author/DB)

Five students, aged 10-11, with serious emotional disturbances and/or learning disabilities, recorded their attentive behavior and academic productivity. Then performance was assessed under a choice condition, the treatment program was faded, and maintenance was probed. Results revealed that both treatments produced and maintained improvements in…

The study compared the task demonstration model and the standard prompting hierarchy in training 8 persons (ages 16-21) with moderate or severe mental retardation on a discrimination task. The task demonstration model was found to be superior during both training and generalization phases. (DB)

A behavioral consultation approach was effectively used to reduce problem behaviors in 2 field studies with 3 students (ages 10-14) having severe or profound mental retardation and their teachers. Intervention involved extinction of inappropriate behaviors, reinforcement of appropriate play behaviors, and teaching verbal skills functionally…

A time delay procedure was used to teach three children (ages 5-9) with autism to ask the question "What's that?" when novel stimuli were presented, and generalization of the skill was assessed. Results suggest that children with autism can be taught to ask questions that lead to acquisition of new information. (Author/DB)

Parents of three autistic boys (ages 7-8) were taught to use a time delay procedure to increase their children's appropriate spontaneous speech in naturally occurring daily settings. Results indicated that all children increased their daily spontaneous speech and generalized their speech to other locations and persons. (Author/JDD)