An assertiveness training program specifically developed for mentally retarded adults was used to train 128 participants from four rehabilitation centers. Results demonstrated improvement in assertive behaviors and some relationship between internal locus of control and increased assertiveness skills. (Author/CL)

Procedures were developed to teach two young children with severe handicaps to get an adult's attention and make a request. Both mastered a routine of getting up, walking over to the adult, and exhibiting appropriate attention-getting behavior after training. Behavior was maintained at a three-week follow-up. (Author/PB)

Monthly progress reports were written with and without microcomputer assistance by six professional and 20 nonprofessional staff in a state facility for the mentally retarded. Ratings by persons blind to the conditions indicated that use of the computer resulted in higher quality reports. (Author)

The characteristics of the skill clusters involved in community living response chains were studied, focusing on the length of the chain, the response classes contained in the chain, and the implicit variations within the chain. Instruction of response chains can be enhanced through consideration of the stimulus control strategies used.…

Generalization probes conducted preceding and following social skills training (using a game format) of high school students with mild mental retardation found acquisition of social skills across game conditions. Although immediate generalization to nontraining environments did not occur, a possible "deferred generalization" effect was found at…

The effectiveness of video-based staff training with manager-led exercises in improving the performance of six staffers in residential support for persons with disabilities was examined. The training procedures improved performance in hand-washing, glove usage, and frequency of positive interaction, but not in the frequency of valued activities.…

The effectiveness of a quick-transfer language training method combined with incidental teaching on snack requests was examined with two severely mentally retarded primary grade children. Trained requesting behavior transferred to incidental opportunities and was maintained at 1-month followup. (DB)

Eighteen mentally retarded adults were taught pedestrian skills using either classroom or community training procedures. Community training procedures resulted in significant improvement from pretest to posttest; however no significant change was seen in the classroom group. (Author/MC)

The effectiveness of a person-centered later-life training program designed to teach 60 older adults with mental retardation about later-life planning issues and to increase their participation in choice-making was examined. Participants made more choice over time than did a control group and 87 percent met or partially met their goals. (Contains…

Ten adults with mild mental retardation used color-coded food photographs and meal code cards to plan nutritionally balanced meals. Subjects spent an average of nine minutes to plan three meals. Errors, which were primarily omissions, occurred mostly in food groups requiring four servings daily. (JDD)

The study found that use of the Dial-A-Phone instructional package plus a least intrusive prompt teaching strategy was more effective than the prompts alone in training two adults with moderate developmental disabilities to match digits of personal phone numbers with digits on a dial telephone. (Author/DB)

Visual feedback and ratio scheduling of pay were utilized to train the relationship between work and piece rate for five severely mentally retarded workers. Results show a statistically significant gain in production during training, and a larger gain during the second baseline period when the visual feedback was removed and clients were paid on…

The effects of an instructional package for teaching menu planning and grocery shopping skills to a mildly mentally retarded mother were examined. After training, the mother could plan three days of nutritious meals and could locate each item required for those meals in a grocery store, with subsequent skill maintenance. (Author)

A survey of 49 Maryland service providers offering vocational services found the weekly earnings of persons placed in supported employment were 3.5 times the earning of persons employed on the premises of the service provider. Nevertheless, there was strong evidence that substantial improvements are needed, and possible, in supported employment.…

Three older adults with severe/moderate mental retardation learned aerobic-type exercises in a group setting using a system of prompts and contingent praise. Prompt fading facilitated maintenance of the exercise skills in the absence of instruction, and skills were maintained at a nine-month follow-up assessment. However, only slight increases in…