This study compared 2 methods of fading prompts while teaching tacts to 3 individuals who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The 1st method involved use of an echoic prompt and prompt fading. The 2nd method involved providing multiple-alternative answers and fading by increasing the difficulty of the discrimination. An adapted…

The current study examined the effectiveness and efficiency of presenting secondary targets within learning trials for 4 children with an autism spectrum disorder. Specifically, we compared 4 instructional conditions using a progressive prompt delay. In 3 conditions, we presented secondary targets in the antecedent or consequence portion of…

Previous research has suggested that the topography of instructions (general vs. specific) may influence the likelihood that young children comply with instructions. The purpose of the current study was to compare the rates of task completion of a young man diagnosed with Asperger syndrome when provided with general and specific instructions…

Four multiply handicapped students (aged 5-11) received skill instruction under four experimental conditions, involving differing teacher wait-times and intertrial interval durations. Student performance was superior under the long wait-time conditions irrespective of the length of the intertrial interval. (Author/JDD)

Fjellstedt and Sulzer-Azaroff (1973) used differential reinforcement of short latencies to decrease a child's latency to comply with instructions. We replicated this contingency with a young man diagnosed with Asperger syndrome across two tasks (question answering and math problem solving). We added a differential reinforcement contingency to…

Four students, aged 15-19, with moderate mental retardation learned to cash checks and use an automatic teller through either a decreasing prompt hierarchy or time-delay procedure. Both strategies led to acquisition of target tasks and were equally effective in producing performance maintenance; however, the decreasing prompt hierarchy was more…

The study investigated the influence of a response delay requirement on the discrimination performance of three autistic adolescents. Results showed that the response delay condition produced higher levels of correct responding than the no reponse delay condition. Teachers rated the response delay procedure practical and effective in a classroom…

Twelve adults were asked to teach four pairs of preschool children in which one member of the pair exhibited problem behavior. Results indicated that the adults engaged in teaching activities with nonproblem children more often than with problem children. When an adult worked with a problem child, the breadth of instruction was more limited.…

This study investigated students' allocation of responding as a function of task difficulty and type of reinforcement contingency (i.e., accuracy based or time based). Four regular education fourth-grade students were presented with two identical stacks of easy and then difficult math worksheets using a reversal design. Regardless of condition,…

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)

The performance of five students (ages 6 to 10) in an adjustment class for deaf children was compared under fixed and variable ratio schedules of reinforcement. During the VR condition, students visually attended more and engaged in disruptive behavior less often than during the FR condition. (Author)

Prompting, positive and negative reinforcement, and a gradually extended reinforcement schedule were used with three autistic clients (two six-year-olds and one adolescent) to teach them to maintain on-task behaviors without constant supervision. Results indicated that appropriate behavior could be successfully maintained with only infrequent and…

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.…

This study evaluated the Task Demonstration Model for teaching discrimination skills with three teachers and their students (adolescents and young adults with moderate to severe mental retardation). The intervention required students to respond simultaneously. Students increased their percentage and rate of correct responding as well as their…