A correspondence training procedure was used to develop consistency between children's verbalizations and subsequent behavior across increasingly remote settings and time. Generalization was obtained in the absence of any salient externally imposed contingencies after Ss had reliably come under control of verbalizations about preschool behaviors.…

Results of a study comparing the outcome of a reinforcement (do only) procedure with correspondence (say/do) training indicated no apparent differences in generalization between two groups of mentally retarded adults (N=12). Rule-governed behavior, rather than verbal regulation of behavior, may best account for behavior changes seen in…

Addresses the practical validity of self-instruction training as an intervention for severely disabled children. Three issues are examined: (1) the development of verbal strategies adaptable to children with knowledge deficits, (2) the effects of generalization training, and (3) the role of self-talk (verbalization) in self-instruction. Four…

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 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 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…

Thirteen females with Turner syndrome, 13 females with nonverbal learning disabilities, and 14 males with nonverbal learning disabilities, ages 7-14, were taught via a cognitive behavioral modification approach to verbally mediate a spatial matching task. All three groups showed significant task improvement after the training, with no significant…