The purpose of this study was to determine the nature of decisions made by trainees as they interact with mildly handicapped pupils during oral reading and to determine the effects of various training interventions on trainee decision-making behavior. Data obtained from simulated recall interviews at the beginning of the program indicated that…

AN OLD CHILDREN'S GAME CAN BE USED AS A DEVICE TO TEACH YOUNGSTERS TO FOLLOW INCREASINGLY COMPLEX INSTRUCTIONS. ITS USE WILL INCREASE THE CHILDREN'S ABILITY TO RESPOND SELECTIVELY, PARTICULARLY TO VERBAL INSTRUCTIONS, BY REPLACING THE TYPICAL VISUAL DOMINANCE OF THE CHILD WITH A VERBAL ONE. THE CURRICULUM IS DESIGNED TO MOVE FROM THE SIMPLEST…

Hyperlexic children have superior word recognition skills accompanied by delayed development of cognitive and language abilities. Assessment of four hyperlexic children (ages 5-9) confirmed their superior abilities to retain sound/symbol associations. Written prompts were then effectively used to increase functional speech in one of the subjects.…

In the research conducted, the relationship between teaching complexity and children's mathematical thinking was investigated in 4 "reform" classes and 1 conventional elementary class (7-8 years). Forty lessons were analyzed for the type of teaching and children's mathematical thinking revealed during class discussion. The results indicate…

Videotapes of four teachers tutoring first graders in a reading intervention program were analyzed for instances of metacognition and scaffolding (interactional talk structured by teachers to maximize learning). The most frequent category of scaffolding was coaching, which frequently preceded children's self-corrections and served to reinforce…

A study of 4 youths (ages 11-18) with autism examined the effectiveness of teaching appropriate affective behavioral responses. Participants were described by teachers as having flat and inappropriate affect. Treatment consisted of modeling, prompting, and reinforcement. The combination of an error-correction procedure and contingent delivery of…

Three preschool boys with autism received social skills training and an intervention that encompassed adult prompting, edible reinforcement contingent on positive exchanges, and self-monitoring of social behaviors. The self-monitoring package increased target children's interactions with peers and/or siblings. School and home procedures produced…

A multiple-probe design across behaviors assessed the effectiveness of a simultaneous prompting procedure in teaching expressive identification of photos of community signs to two elementary students with moderate intellectual disabilities in a small group instructional arrangement. The procedure was effective in teaching both students the…

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…

Four mentally retarded children (ages 4-11), 3 with autism, were successfully taught various adaptive behaviors for self-care skills. Training procedures involved the whole-task method and included modeling, verbal instructions, prompting, and edible and social reinforcement. (Author/JDD)

This commentary on a study that found the use of a system of least prompts produced increases in rates of conversations between preschoolers with and without disabilities discusses the absence of teaching promoting verbal behavior in the baseline condition and emphasizes the need for better teacher preparation and inservice education. (Author/CR)

This commentary on a study that found the use of a system of least prompts produced increases in rates of conversations between preschoolers with and without disabilities discusses the benefits of the hierarchical model of intervention that maximizes the usefulness of research to practitioners. (Author/CR)

Given the frequency with which the "system of least prompts" is used, it is important to identify procedures to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the system. This study compared effects of a traditional least to most procedure (TLM) and a revised least to most procedure (RLM) on skill acquisition in individuals with moderate and severe…

This study evaluated (1) whether essay placement (either at the beginning or at the end of the test battery) impacts test-takers' performance on the critical reading, mathematics, and writing multiple choice measures; and (2) whether essay prompt type (either a simple one-line prompt or a prompt including a short passage) affects test-takers'…

This literature review is one part of a research project, "The Comparison of Instructional Strategies," designed to investigate issues related to instructional procedures used with students having moderate and severe mental retardation and to develop and field test four modules/manuals using such procedures. The review examined the…