Several factors can inhibit retrieval when extralist cues are provided: degree of control in accessing the domain of information specified by the test cue; size of the search set defined by test cue; and strength of the cue, both in relation to its target and to its category name. (Author/PN)

Research is reviewed on stimulus overselectivity in autistic children, and educational implications are discussed in terms of language acquisition, social behavior, observational learning, generalization, and prompting and prompt fading. Approaches to circumvent the problem of overselectivity are also described. (CL)

A clock-light cuing device was successfully used in classrooms to control disruptive student behavior. Students were made aware of inappropriate behavior (which caused the light to be turned off) and of the time lost until the behavior was verbally identified and corrected. An accumulation of a specified amount of time in which the light was on…

A color coded "extra prompt" procedure was compared to a "no extra prompt" procedure in teaching 20 autistic children and adolescents how to lace shoes. (Author/SB)

The effects of training using tactile (physical guidance), visual (modeling), auditory (verbal instructions) prompting, and a combination of all three methods were compared by teaching 32 mildly to severely retarded vocational rehabilitation clients (18-50 years old) the construction of four assembly tasks. (Author)

Both interventions produced dramatic and comparable increases in positive social behavior in training sessions; however, post-treatment responding was not observed for either intervention during generalization assessment. (Author/DLS)

Assessed was the effectiveness of using prompts (extra "guiding" stimuli) for teaching 16 normal (6 to 9 years old) and 8 autistic children (7 to 12 years old). (Author/SBH)

Combined fading with the introduction of prompts designed to encourage learners to identify the underlying principle illustrated in each worked-out solution step. Across 2 experiments, this combination produced medium to large effects on near and far transfer without requiring additional time on task. Thus, the instructional procedure is highly…

Children, ages 3 and 5, examined a "sick" teddy bear. Interviews with real props, toy props, or verbal prompts were conducted three days and one year later. After three days, real items and toys facilitated memory compared to verbal prompts, but reports with toys were less accurate than both. After one year, real items still helped…

Four methods for response prompting and fading are reviewed: increasing assistance, decreasing assistance, graduated guidance, and time delay. Comparative investigations involving these methods are discussed, and recommendations for practitioners and for future research are included. (Author/JDD)

Three children with autism (ages seven-nine) were taught to verbally name pictures using a progressive time delay procedure. Results of a multiple probe design across pictures and replicated across students indicated that the time delay procedure was effective in fading extra-stimulus prompts. The procedure resulted in nearly error-free…

Four experiments investigated time-delay discrimination training in improving the visual discrimination performance of 16 impulsive kindergarten children. Time delay of distinctive-feature prompts without self-monitoring did not produce learning. The added requirement of self-monitoring nonwait responses led to dramatically improved performance,…

This study evaluated the effectiveness of combining two training procedures (task-size fading and automatic prompting) in increasing the unsupervised responding of two adult subjects with severe/profound mental retardation. Results suggest the effectiveness of this combination of training methods. (DB)

This article offers theoretical principles and practical suggestions for teaching physical education to children with autism. It focuses on stimulus overselectivity in the autistic child, the problems it creates for prompting and generalization, and its implications for teaching physical education to this population. (DB)

Two studies examined efficacy of context reinstatement in enhancing 5- to 7-year olds' recall. Results showed that children exposed to a context reminder 24 hours before the six-month interview and children interviewed in the event context did not differ but reported significantly more information than children in standard interview. (Author/KB)