Verbal prompting and graduated physical guidance procedures were found to substantially increase independent and social play in two interrelated experiments with eight profoundly mentally retarded adults. Independent and social play remained in the subjects' repertoire for 12 months following termination of programmed maintenance. (Author/JW)

Paired reading (with a helper) and an individualized approach employing a "pause, prompt, and praise" strategy were found equally effective in a comparison study involving 48 elementary students in Hong Kong with reading problems. Both forms of treatment produced greater gains than normal classroom instruction received by a control…

Studies five-year-olds' relative number judgements of small and large number displays with and without perceptual aids. Children were found to respond to local rather than global density differences and to benefit from the provision of perceptual aids on both small and large number displays. (Author/AS)

Explored the role of clothing in sex-role socialization by comparing stereotypic clothing-play cognitions with overt play behavior relative to dress. A multi-method approach, including observations and interviews, was used to study the behavior and cognitions of 39 preschool girls. (Author/DST)

Discusses what is known about programed instruction as that knowledge relates to the avoidance of planning and design errors which limit the effectiveness of instructional programs. A 17-item reference list accompanies the text. (Author/JL)

A review of 10 research articles on the use of auditory prompting systems with persons with moderate to severe disabilities found a functional relationship between the use of an audio prompt system and increased task performance. Results support the use of an audio prompt system as an effective intervention. (Contains references.) (CR)

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…