An adapted alternating treatments design was used to compare mother-developed and delivered social stories and video modeling in teaching social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Mothers' opinions about the social validity of the study were also examined. Three mother-child dyads participated in the study. Results showed that…

Despite a lack of conclusive evidence, many researchers in the field view computer-assisted instruction (CAI) as an opportunity for improved instruction for students with disabilities. This study examined the effects of a CAI program, Lexia Strategies for Older Students (SOS)™ on the word recognition skills of four, upper elementary students with…

Twelve seventh- and eighth-grade students with emotional disturbance participated in a multiple probe, multiple baseline design two-phase intervention study to improve persuasive writing skills. The first phase after baseline taught students to plan and write persuasive essays including counterarguments. In the second phase, students were taught…

This study investigated the effects of cognitive strategy instruction on the mathematical problem solving of three adolescents with spina bifida. Conditions of the multiple-baseline across-individuals design included baseline, two levels of treatment, posttesting, and maintenance. Treatment 1 focused on one-step math problems, and Treatment 2…

The effects of social interaction skill interventions on the social behavior of four preschool children with behavioral handicaps were evaluated. Findings indicated unique effects for social skills training and contingency management intervention. Results are discussed in relation to the role of reciprocal interaction and behavioral trapping for…

This study examined effects of text listening strategy instruction on listening and reading comprehension skills of 95 9- to 11-year-old poor readers of whom half were also poor listeners. Results indicated significant program effects on strategic listening and strategic reading posttests. Although improvements were maintained, transfer to more…

This multiple baseline study investigated the effectiveness of direct instruction of an advanced story-map procedure on the reading comprehension performance of six middle school students with learning disabilities (LD). Results indicated an increase in story grammar and basal comprehension performance generalization to a novel passage, and…

A 5-second constant time delay procedure was used to teach 10 word definitions to 3 fifth grade students with mild learning handicaps. All students learned the definitions in 8 to 9 sessions with students maintaining correct responding at 6, 10, and 14 weeks after training. Generalization was also observed. (Author/DB)

Three youths with mental retardation and behavior disorders were taught functional sight words that supported participation in recreation activities in community settings. Direct instruction with in vivo word find activities was demonstrated to be effective in promoting acquisition of functional sight words. Word recognition was maintained at…

Forty-four fifth-grade remedial reading students were taught to verbalize a learning strategy and then were divided into fading/no-fading, feedback/no-feedback conditions. Having students fade the strategy to covert self-instructions and giving them feedback linking strategy use with improved performance enhanced self-efficacy, comprehension, and…

A review of the literature examines three emerging trends related to the impact of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) for children with disabilities: (1) the prescription of appropriate AAC devices; (2) implementation of AAC across multiple contexts; and (3) maintenance of AAC use and anticipation of transition needs. The importance…

Four fifth and sixth grade students with learning disabilities were taught a strategy for comprehending word problems and devising appropriate solutions. Following instruction performance on mixed sets of addition and subtraction word problems improved. Although generalization to a different setting occurred, maintenance was mixed. (Author/DB)

When learning-disabled high school students (N=22) were taught about astronomy by either presenting key concepts with a visual spatial display or by presenting concepts with texts, tests measuring short-term mastery of content favored students taught with the visual display. No differences were found between the groups on transfer or maintenance.…

This paper analyzes the methodology and effectiveness of the training approaches implemented in 28 empirical studies on basic motor skills instruction for children with neuromotor delays. For all types of training approaches (neuromotor interventions, sensory integration techniques, behavioral programing, and naturalistic programing), assessment…

Three learning-disabled students, aged 10-11, received self-instructional strategy training for improving revision skills for essays they composed on a word processor. Strategy instruction positively impacted on students' revising behavior and the length and quality of their written products. Effects were maintained over time and generalized to…