Thirty children with partial sight and 30 children with unimpaired sight (all 8- to 12-years old) received either verbal-mediation or visual-mediation training regimes. The verbal mediation training was superior to visual mediation training on a problem-solving task for both children with partial sight and children without visual impairments.…

The study's results showed that the self-instruction procedure used by four severely retarded adults led to improved vocational skills as indicated by increased work production rates and a concomitant decrease in the number of errors. (Author/DB)

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.…

The relative effectiveness of three procedures for increasing vocal response to prompt in 15 preschool children with Down Syndrome was compared. Light-dimming and visual screening, when combined with positive reinforcement, were both found to be significantly more effective than positive reinforcement alone. (Author/JDD)

In this paper I discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of two different approaches to teaching motor skills to students in outdoor education and outdoor recreation settings. Using acronyms to describe their stages: DEDICT is a six step, direct instructional model that some outdoor leaders may already be familiar with; and FERAL is my…

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…

Verbal sequence training was used to teach a moderately mentally retarded woman to sequence job-related tasks. Learning to say the tasks in the proper sequence resulted in the employee performing her tasks in that sequence, and the employee was capable of mediating her own work behavior when scheduled changes occurred. (Author/JDD)

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…

This study demonstrated that four adults with severe mental retardation could learn to use self-instruction in combination with multiple exemplars, could acquire the problem-solving strategy (responding to multiple exemplars and self-instructing) during training and generalize to untrained problem situations, and could exhibit response maintenance…

Discusses the development of computer-managed instruction (CMI) and possible changes for the future. Topics addressed include the management function; the current tutorial method that focuses on verbal learning; a closer relationship to performance and practice; resolving conflicting goals in computer-based training; and the psychology of…

A study showed that mentally retarded children can be taught rather easily to verbalize instructions, suggesting that past difficulty in such training was due more to inadequate procedures than to inherent difficulties related to children's ability to self-instruct. Correspondence between the children's verbal and nonverbal behavior was also…

The investigation assessed effects of a self-management training program on the production rates of four severely mentally retarded workers. The program comprised self-instructions, goal setting, and self-reinforcement. Results indicated that the program substantially improved the production rates for all workers for up to three months. (Author/DB)

Comparison of two strategies--manual guidance only and manual guidance plus verbal prompts--with 6 students (ages 9 to 19) whose multiple disabilities included total blindness and severe mental retardation found that prompting methods that require shifting verbal information to the performance of a manual task may interfere with the learning of…

In response to Whitman, "Self-Regulation and Mental Retardation" (EC 222 812), the author raises four points: use of alternatives to language based interventions, questionable effectiveness of verbal self-instruction with the retarded, questionable practicality of gradual withdrawal of teacher prompting, and need for immediate testing of…

The author answers responses (EC 222 813-814) to his paper, "Self-Regulation and Mental Retardation" (EC 222 812). Research is encouraged into questions concerning the extent complex and independent adaptive behaviors can be taught to the retarded and the comparative effectiveness of verbal mediators or alternative approaches in…