This study found both constant time delay and a most-to-least prompting strategy were effective in teaching 4 moderately mentally retarded 18-year-olds to operate a washing machine and dryer.The constant time delay procedure, however, was more efficient in terms of instructional time and number of instructional errors. (Author/DB)

Utilizing four pairs of preschoolers with Down's Syndrome, the efficacy of two prompt-fading procedures (decreasing assistance and graduated guidance procedure) was compared during instruction of two self-help skills. The efficacy of observational learning was also examined. Both prompt-fading procedures and observational learning were effective…

Effects of using dashboard stickers and signature sheets providing information on safety belt regulations were evaluated among 893 occupants of state-owned vehicles in three Florida agencies. Safety belt use increased significantly during the intervention phase in all three agencies and maintained variable but high levels for five months. (JW)

A system of graduated guidance was used to teach three children (ages six through nine) with severe multiple disabilities to don and remove their jackets and coats independently. The training approach involved initial use of oversized garments, fading of guidance, and individualized reinforcement. Skill maintenance and generalization were also…

Simulation training and a prompt hierarchy were found to facilitate acquisition of clean intermittent self-catheterization skills by a four-year-old male with myelomeningocele. The child was first taught to perform catheterization on a doll, then on himself. Skills were clustered into three tasks of diapering, cleansing, and catheterization.…

This study, involving four secondary-age students with moderate to severe mental retardation, found that four response prompting conditions (progressive time delay and the system of least prompts, both with and without a descriptive consequent event) were effective in teaching reading of recipe words with similar efficiency and maintenance. (JDD)

A study examined effects of a tactile prompting device (the Gentle Reminder) as a prompt for a 9-year-old student with autism to make verbal initiations about play activities. Results indicate that the device serves as an effective, unobtrusive prompt for verbal initiations during play contexts and during cooperative learning activities.…

Three students (ages 14-16) with mild mental retardation were taught to use an auditory prompting system to complete the vocational tasks of cleaning a bathroom in a classroom setting. Students acquired the skills and generalized them to a novel setting. There were mixed results concerning maintenance of the skills. (Contains 10 references.)…

Two groups of three students with moderate mental retardation were instructed using group procedures to compare static picture and video prompting simulation strategies. An alternating treatments design was used to compare individual student task acquisition and maintenance performances of purchasing and banking skills. The results indicated that…

Nine graduate students (teacher-researchers) with an average of 6 years teaching experience (1-15 years) participated in action research to examine the influence of teacher-chosen visual aids (pictures) on children's writing. A total of 165 elementary students participated in the two phases of the research project: 83 boys and 82 girls in…

Relatively little is known about the potential of web-based programs to support and scaffold the writing performance of students with disabilities. In this study, an experimental and control group of students planned and organized their ideas in order to write expository papers about self-selected topics. The experimental group used a web-based…

This booklet reviews the literature and suggests effective strategies for teaching social skills to children and youth with autism. The first chapter reviews the four common approaches for promoting social development. An individual chapter is then given to each of these: direct skill instruction; antecedent prompting procedures; peer-initiated…

Student writing performance has not appreciably improved in the past decade. While there is evidence that teachers assign more writing than in the past, performance has not kept pace. Three urban schools that experienced significant improvements in students' writing achievement were studied. To glean ideas and examples, the authors observed…

A study explored whether cues given in advance of messages presented through noise were effective for increasing comprehension. Specifically, the study examined whether (1) relevant cues increased overall listening accuracy and (2) irrelevant cues impaired listening by introducing distortions into the processing of messages or simply decreased the…

Past research has suggested that reliance upon implicit theories may depend upon the ambiguity or salience of provided cues. Previously unexplored factors were investigated to further an understanding of implicit theories related to group processes, by: (1) utilizing a no feedback control group in addition to high and low feedback groups; (2)…