An interview with a professional speaker (Larry Wilson) who is also a professional trainer. He expresses his views on the difference between speaking and training and gives the elements in a good speech that can be applied to training. (MF)

The results from these analyses supported the hypothesis that the Personal Responsibility Rating System has construct validity as a measure of psychological health. (Author/DEP)

Examined effectiveness of different empathy training approaches with high and low conceptual level (CL) trainees and effects of client ambivalence on empathic responding. High CL trainees were found to be more empathic to ambivalent affect statements, while no difference was found on responses to nonambivalent statements. (Author)

Four nonverbal autistic boys (ages 11-16) were successfully taught sign language action-object phrases following an intervention composed of prompting, fading, stimulus rotation, and differential reinforcement. The skill generalized to new situations. (Author/DB)

The article reviews behavioral intervention research with the handicapped, focusing on the analysis of subject, setting, and procedural factors that influence the outcome of behavior modification. Behavior enhancement procedures (e.g., tactile and sensory reinforcement, contracting, and modeling) and behavior reduction procedures (e.g., extinction…

Examines the experience of instructors using one major CAD (computer-assisted design) system, VersaCAD. The author provides an overview of the variety of training, funding, and curriculum opportunities available to those teaching CAD. (CT)

A series of investigations was conducted with three severely retarded nonspeaking subjects to teach use of a pictorial communication device. Although none of the subjects acquired the skill as a result of the 6-week "prompt-free" intervention, one subject acquired the skill after a modified "verbal prompt-free" intervention was used. (Author/DB)

Effects of self instruction training on the communication skills of a profoundly hearing impaired 10-year-old child were studied. Training included modeling a series of problem solving steps. Results indicated that self-instruction was immediately effective on pragmatic behaviors and that the influence on semantic behaviors was gradual. (Author/DB)

Results of withdrawing instructional components and trainers after a previous study using picture recipe cards to teach three mentally retarded adults to prepare meals indicated (from self reports and roommate reports) maintenance of trained skills during a 10-month period. (Author/DB)

The study demonstrated the utility of the alternating treatments design in determining the most efficacious language training approach with mentally retarded children. Oral communication, total communication, and modified total communication were each used with two children in three trials. The preferred approach was consistent within each subject…

Presents information gathered from organizations with 50 or more employees concerning how the training budget will be spent in 1987 and compares that with information from previous years. Topics include (1) occupations receiving training, (2) use of computers, (3) sources of training, and (4) instructional methods. (CH)

The Senior Managers Program of the U.S. Department of Education integrates training with on-the-job application of skills to provide a more effective learning environment and immediate results. Each training workshop is followed by an intervention in the participant's work unit, and teams work on agency problems identified by high-level officials.…

Presents a heuristic to help writing laboratory directors implement a nonprescriptive, nondirective tutor training program which allows tutors to take an active role in their own training. The heuristic is divided into four parts: establishing rapport, exploring potential, discovering strategies, and on-going self-review. (RS)

In order to meet the needs of researchers whose primary interest is in methods for training the retarded in domestic, vocational, or other nonacademic skills, a procedure is described for estimating equivalent difficulty for different vocational preparation tasks. (Author/DB)

The article proposes a reeducation program for conduction aphasics with reproductive difficulties. Program characteristics include analysis and manipulation of visual stimuli (written words and syllables), suppression of the compensation effect of the spared lexical-semantic system; and progressive increase in length and complexity of phonological…