A young adult with severe disabilities was taught to initiate, sustain, and terminate an Atari video game. A multiple probe design across these three skills clusters was used to validate the instructional package. Instruction consisted of total task presentation with teacher praise for correct task step performance and a gradually increased…

Mothers (N=16) who participated in training on strategies to enhance the quality of interactions with their disabilities infants made substantial gains. Children's interest in the activities also increased significantly. The use of the Teaching Skills Inventory to identify areas in which parents have skill deficits is noted. (CL)

Evaluation of sociometric ratings assigned by and to 27 educable mentally retarded high school students partially mainstreamed found that retarded students rated their peers more negatively and received more negative ratings than matched (for race, grade, sex, socioeconomic status, participation in extracurricular activities) controls. (DB)

The effects of three interventions (peer initiation, reinforcement, and prompting) delivered by nonhandicapped students (4th graders) on the social initiation behavior of untrained peers toward a student with severe handicaps were examined. Results indicated the prompt procedure produced the highest levels of positive social initiation from…

The effects of an overcorrection procedure on stereotypic behavior of two students (ages 11 and 12) with severe multiple handicaps were investigated in a cooperative school/home program. Results indicated successful implementation of overcorrection by professionals, paraprofessionals, and parents in both school and home settings. (Author/DB)

The study assessed instructional program preferences of staff and management personnel of 74 potential community training sites for severely handicapped persons. Eight categories of community establishments were identified and responses were used to guide community based trainers in making instructional decisions appropriate to the site as well as…

The study examined the effect of increased teacher-wait-time in increasing frequency of responses of two developmentally delayed 2 1/2-year-olds. Teacher wait-time of 5 seconds was found to be superior to teacher wait-time of 1 second in both frequency of response and accuracy of response. (Author/DB)

The study examined the perceptions of 106 handicapped and nonhandicapped high school juniors and seniors concerning the vocational, leisure, domestic, and school skills they considered important and used frequently. Handicapped students were more likely to consider specific vocational skills as important than were nonhandicapped students.…

This study compared qualitative fundamental motor skill performances of 170 nonhandicapped and 138 educable mentally retarded students (6-10 years old). Nonhandicapped students performed significantly better than educable students on each of the seven skills assessed. Results suggested such students should be evaluated before being mainstreamed…

The article provides a review of behavioral staff training (focusing on antecedent, contingency management, and multi-faceted procedures) in special education settings, primarily institutions. Techniques are discussed according to such criteria as evaluation of staff behavior, changes in client behavior, inclusion of follow-up observations, and…

Telephone interviews with 48 parents of young adults with mental and physical disabilities found parents identified their greatest planning needs in the areas of living situation, socialization, and employment. There was a positive relationship between planning for adult needs and family functioning. (Author/DB)

The study evaluated the use of simulated instruction on vending machine use as an adjunct to community-based instruction with two moderately retarded children. Results showed concurrent acquisition of the vending machine skills across trained and untrained sites. (Author/DB)

The study reviewed the performance of 300 educable mentally retarded 10th graders on the Florida State Student Assessment Test which evaluates specified minimum performance standards in basic academic skills. Retarded students scored lower and were less likely than other students to attain the required level of mastery prior to graduation.…

The study found that providing feedback and goals in an accelerating standards condition had a positive effect on the learning of eight retarded children (mean age 9 years) on a five-choice discrimination task requiring vocabulary and perceptual competence. (Author/DB)

Ten mentally retarded clients in a small work activity center were effectively trained to use social amenities during work-related communications. Training consisted of prework review of the rules of social amenities, frequent reminders during work by supervisors, client repetition of the reminders, and focused practice. (Author/DB)