Showing papers in "The Journal of The Association for Persons With Severe Handicaps in 1987"
TL;DR: In this paper, classroom observations were made on staff and students with severe disabilities to record opportunities to express preferences and make choices, and the results indicated that, regardless of age level or setting, classroom staff responded at very low rates to student-initiated expressions of choice or preference.
Abstract: Classroom observations were made on staff and students with severe disabilities to record opportunities to express preferences and make choices. Included in the study were 48 staff members and 37 students located in public schools, institutions, and university demonstration sites. An observational code was used to record staff- and student-initiated expressions of preference and choice in structured and nonstructured classroom activities. Results indicated that, regardless of age level or setting, classroom staff responded at very low rates to student-initiated expressions of choice or preference and that staff-initiated opportunities for student expressions of choice or preference were significantly higher in the 0 to 5 age range. Additional findings indicated that staff and students used distinctly different response modalities to communicate. Results are discussed in relation to the development of communication and social skills, with implications for current educational practices, personnel training, ...
198 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a consultation model for the treatment of severe behavior problems exhibited by persons with severe/profound retardation and dual sensory impairments (deaf/blind) is evaluated.
Abstract: A consultation model to provide technical assistance for the treatment of severe behavior problems exhibited by persons with severe/profound retardation and dual sensory impairments (deaf/blind) is evaluated. Technical assistance was provided to two programs in the areas of behavior management and curriculum design. During visits to these programs, we: (a) identified problem behaviors and possible controlling variables, (b) identified curriculum needs and made recommendations for changes, (c) videotaped clients and staff and established staff-implemented data collection procedures, (d) trained staff and intervened with each client using functional communication training, and (e) conducted follow-up observations. A “correlated probe” design combining staff-collected and consultant-collected data was used to evaluate the results of the technical assistance. Data from five individuals who engaged in behaviors such as severe aggression, self-injury, and tantrums are presented. Clients with dual sensory impair...
125 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a continuum of cues that occasion language responses is recommended to resolve definitional ambiguities and the same continuum can be invoked for training purposes for spontaneous language use.
Abstract: A rationale for the importance of analyzing spontaneous language use by persons with severe disabilities is offered. Definition represents the first barrier. A continuum of cues that occasion language responses is recommended to resolve definitional ambiguities. The same continuum can be invoked for training purposes. Three recent studies representing state-of-the-art procedures for teaching spontaneous language use are reviewed. Finally, future directions for conceptualizing, analyzing, and teaching spontaneous language use are discussed.
117 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a nonaversive procedure to increase the probability that students with moderate and severe handicapping conditions will follow a directive to begin work was described, where familiar, rapidly paced, verbal directions with reinforcement can effectively mediate transitions from one activity to another.
Abstract: This article describes a nonaversive procedure to increase the probability that students with moderate and severe handicapping conditions will follow a directive to begin to work. Pretask requesting was evaluated using an ABA and BAB reversal design across four students with moderate and severe handicaps. The study suggests that familiar, rapidly paced, verbal directions with reinforcement can effectively mediate transitions from one activity to another. The theoretical implications of the procedure for a nonaversive technology of preemptive behavioral treatment are discussed.
102 citations
79 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the most promising practices in educational programs for students with severe disabilities reflect a mix of social values as well as empirically validated instructional strategies, and they are used to evaluate the effectiveness of these practices.
Abstract: References to “most promising practices” in educational programs for students with severe disabilities reflect a mix of social values as well as empirically validated instructional strategies. A li...
75 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, 15 high school peer tutors and 15 "special friends" interacted daily for a semester with a class of 9 students with severe disabilities, and two measurement systems were employed: an attitude surv...
Abstract: Fifteen high school peer tutors and 15 “special friends” interacted daily for a semester with a class of 9 students with severe disabilities. Two measurement systems were employed: an attitude surv...
70 citations
TL;DR: The efforts of those advocating supported employment have resulted in expansion of the opportunities for people with moderate and severe disabilities in the past several years as discussed by the authors, and the results reported pre-...
Abstract: The efforts of those advocating supported employment have resulted in expansion of the opportunities for people with moderate and severe disabilities in the past several years. Results reported pre...
66 citations
64 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors outline optimal roles and responsibilities for young adults with disabilities and discuss these roles in inter-agency and transdisciplinary teams in transition planning and implementation procedures across the country.
Abstract: As transition planning and implementation procedures evolve across the country, professionals and parents are struggling with the roles and responsibilities they need to assume to ensure meaningful adult outcomes for young adults with disabilities. This article outlines “optimal” roles and responsibilities and discusses these roles in interagency and transdisciplinary teams.
54 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined the effects of a social skills training program using self-instructions in facilitating the acquisition and generalization of two social behaviors in a work setting.
Abstract: This investigation examines the effects of a social skills training program using self-instructions in facilitating the acquisition and generalization of two social behaviors in a work setting. Specifically, this study examined the effects of the training package in increasing the percentages of initiations with a supervisor when employees ran out of work materials and/or needed assistance. The results indicated that the training effectively increased the percentages of occurrence in one or both of the target behaviors for all 5 participants. Furthermore, the training resulted in generalized responding across settings for all participants and maintained for up to 13 weeks. These results suggest the feasibility of a social skills training package using self-instructions to help persons with moderate and severe handicaps acquire, maintain, and generalize social behaviors in a work setting.
TL;DR: In this paper, community-based instruction and transdisciplinary teamwork have been advocated as desirable elements of educational services for students with severe disabilities, and as more students receive instruction, they will benefit from these elements.
Abstract: Community-based instruction and transdisciplinary teamwork have been advocated as desirable elements of educational services for students with severe disabilities. As more students receive instruct...
TL;DR: In this paper, an alternate approach to team programming that uses parents and professionals to select unified programming goals, provide direct and indirect related services, integrate programming methods, and monitor student progress is described.
Abstract: Historically, several different team structures have been used to provide assessment and programming by various disciplines in educational settings. Student goals are established on the basis of isolated assessments by each team member with remedial programming provided through either direct (hands-on) or indirect (consultative) services. This article describes an alternate approach to team programming that uses parents and professionals to select unified programming goals, provide direct and indirect related services, integrate programming methods, and monitor student progress. Program philosophy and overall functional assessment-curriculum organizes team members and guides implementation within various educational structures serving students with severe disabilities.
TL;DR: Substantial information exists to argue that all forms of employment—supported, transitional, and sheltered—are more productive in terms of earnings and less costly to provide than adult day care.
Abstract: Evidence about the benefits and costs of supported and transitional employment for persons with severe disabilities is presented along with relevant caveats in the absence of controlled studies. Some of the major forms of supported and transitional employment services are compared with adult day care and traditional sheltered workshops, including work activity centers. Despite weaknesses in the data, sufficient information exists to argue that all forms of employment—supported, transitional, and sheltered—are more productive in terms of earnings and less costly to provide than adult day care. The lack of definitive data is seen as a major impediment to the expansion of supported and transitional employment options for people with severe disabilities; hence, stricter accountability is recommended. All service providers, regardless of the vintage of their programs, should be required to show benefits and costs within a uniform framework of measurement.
TL;DR: In this paper, an investigation was conducted to demonstrate the application of a computerized assessment procedure for determining the leisure preferences of persons with severe handicaps, where three children with severe disabilities who were enrolled in a local public school served as subjects.
Abstract: An investigation was conducted to demonstrate the application of a computerized assessment procedure for determining the leisure preferences of persons with severe handicaps. Three children with severe handicaps who were enrolled in a local public school served as subjects. The experimental apparatus consisted of a switch-activated microcomputer and a computer program designed to interpret the switch activations to produce a variety of leisure activities. A single subject research procedure using a multiple treatment design involving five separate conditions across three subjects was employed. Each subject participated in a series of 3-min sessions during each condition. Each of the five conditions provided students with a choice between two of the following Jive leisure activities: listening to music, watching action videos, activating a blender and drinking a portion of a milkshake, watching a slide show, and feeling the vibrations from a vibrating pad. The results of the investigation demonstrated that...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors describe procedures used to train an adult with severe disabilities to perform a variety of food service tasks in a restaurant, and present maintenance and long-term follow-up data.
Abstract: Procedures used to train an adult with severe disabilities to perform a variety of food service tasks in a restaurant are described. Dependent measures included (a) the rate of prompts delivered per 5-min interval and (b) the percentage of steps of the task analyses performed correctly. A multielement feature was embedded within a multiple baseline design, which allowed experimenters to determine when fading of instructional stimuli should occur. Maintenance and long-term follow-up data are presented. Following 20 months of employment, the owners continue to express their satisfaction with the participant's work performance.
TL;DR: It was concluded that, while this report extends the concerns of competitive employment literature to persons with more severe intellectual handicaps, much more innovative work needs to be performed with individuals who exhibit profound disabilities.
Abstract: The purpose of this article is to describe the competitive employment experiences of 21 persons labeled severely mentally retarded. Over an 8-year period from 1978 to 1986, 21 persons with measured intelligence levels under 40 were competitively employed with ongoing or intermittent job site support. A cumulative total of over $230,000 of unsubsidized wages was earned. Significant vocational problems included slow work rate and lack of appropriate social skills. The majority of the persons worked in part-time, entry-level service positions. The major suggestions for improving the quality of vocational interventions included (a) more creative and comprehensive job development and (b) more powerful systematic instructional techniques. It was concluded that, while this report extends the concerns of competitive employment literature to persons with more severe intellectual handicaps, much more innovative work needs to be performed with individuals who exhibit profound disabilities.
TL;DR: In this article, a model for representing functional competencies in students with disabilities is described, and data are presented to illustrate the narrow range of behaviors included in task analyses in current literature on skill acquisition.
Abstract: This article describes a model for representing functional competencies in students with disabilities. Although strategies exist to identify skills and activities that are functional for students with severe handicaps, these strategies provide relatively little information on how to separate the functional skills into meaningful component parts that represent the range of behaviors needed in the natural environment. Data are presented to illustrate the narrow range of behaviors included in task analyses in current literature on skill acquisition. The Component Model of Functional Life Routines provides a systematic alternate approach to delineating the behaviors required in natural environments.
TL;DR: There is a lack of technically adequate norm-referenced tests appropriate for students with severe handicaps, and criterion-ref referenced tests and adaptive behavior measures are used less frequently than suggested by the literature.
Abstract: Little if any documentation exists regarding the types of tests currently used with students with severe handicaps. The purpose of this study was to estimate the frequency with which specific tests were administered to public school children with severe handicaps. The cumulative school files of 143 students (ages 6 years 5 months to 20 years 10 months) with severe handicaps from five metropolitan school districts were examined to determine what tests were administered to these students. Reliability, validity, norming characteristics, and the type of test for each device was determined. Results of the investigation indicated that (a) there is a lack of technically adequate norm-referenced tests appropriate for students with severe handicaps, (b) the technical adequacy of tests does not appear to be a major determinant in the selection of tests, and (c) criterion-referenced tests and adaptive behavior measures are used less frequently than suggested by the literature. Continued documentation of current asse...
TL;DR: In this paper, the effects of a combined neuromotor/behavioral approach on the acquisition of basic motor skills by young children with severe and multiple disabilities was examined and two children, 17 and 24 month...
Abstract: The effects of a combined neuromotor/behavioral approach on the acquisition of basic motor skills by young children with severe and multiple disabilities was examined. Two children, 17 and 24 month...
TL;DR: In this paper, a reduction of disruptive behaviors in unsupervised settings through reinforcement of appropriate play behaviors in students with autism was achieved by using a specific toy training condition which involved extrinsic reinforcement of specific components of toy play.
Abstract: This study was designed to achieve a reduction of disruptive behaviors in unsupervised settings through reinforcement of appropriate play behaviors in students with autism. In Experiment 1, two students were exposed to training consisting of differential reinforcement of appropriate play, verbal feedback and prompts for inappropriate play or disruptive behaviors, and a specific toy training condition which involved extrinsic reinforcement of specific components of toy play. This training resulted in decreases in disruptive behaviors accompanied by generalization and maintenance of appropriate play in an unsupervised setting. In a second experiment, two additional children exposed to the specific toy training procedure showed similar decreases in disruptive behaviors accompanied by generalization and maintenance of play skills. The results show that reinforcement of appropriate toy play is an effective means of reducing disruptive behaviors in unsupervised settings in children with autism.
TL;DR: In this article, an evaluation of the effectiveness of a sibling training procedure designed to prepare non-handicapped siblings to teach domestic tasks to their younger siblings with disabilities is presented.
Abstract: This article presents an evaluation of the effectiveness of a sibling training procedure designed to prepare nonhandicapped siblings to teach domestic tasks to their younger siblings with handicaps. A multiple baseline design across three sibling pairs was used to assess (a) the acquisition and generalization of the use of an increased prompt sequence and social praise by the nondisabled siblings, (b) the level of independent skill performance by the siblings with handicaps, and (c) the maintenance of skills acquired by both the nonhandicapped child and the sibling with a disability in the absence of the instructor. Results indicated that the nonhandicapped siblings learned to use the prompt sequence proficiently and consistently; the use of social praise was not as consistent. The acquired skills generalized at levels above baseline when teaching a different task and were maintained at varying levels of proficiency in the absence of the instructor. Finally, the independent skill performance of the siblin...
TL;DR: It was shown that staff performance in conducting the activities improved after the training was implemented, and that skills maintained at a 3-week follow-up check.
Abstract: This study evaluated the effectiveness of a “hands-on” and videotape training package in teaching direct care staff in an Intermediate Care Facility to conduct daily activities for persons labeled profoundly mentally retarded. A proficiency checklist of desired staff behaviors was developed and staff were provided with hands-on competency-based training. With the use of a multiple baseline design (across two groups of staff), it was shown that staff performance in conducting the activities improved after the training was implemented, and that skills maintained at a 3-week follow-up check.
TL;DR: A majority of states are engaged in the process of establishing community-based employment programs for persons with severe disabilities and benefit-cost procedures frequently have been suggested as a method of comparing or evaluating alternative approaches.
Abstract: A majority of states are engaged in the process of establishing community-based employment programs for persons with severe disabilities. The application of benefit-cost procedures frequently has been suggested as a method of comparing or evaluating alternative approaches. This article provides an overview of benefit-cost analysis and its limitations, and reviews the applications of benefit-cost analysis within vocational programs for persons with disabilities.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a summary of the arguments of Voeltz and Evans against the use of single-subject research designs in establishing educational validity, and demonstrate how single subject research methodology can be used to demonstrate educational validity.
Abstract: In 1983, Voeltz and Evans introduced a set of criteria for establishing educational validity. Their intent was to improve the documentation of quality educational programs for learners with severe disabilities. Although the concept of educational validity is sound, we feel that Voeltz and Evans were not justified in rejecting single-subject research methodology as a vehicle for assessing educational validity. The present paper (a) provides a summary of the arguments of Voeltz and Evans against the use of single-subject research designs in establishing educational validity, (b) addresses each of the major concerns of Voeltz and Evans with single-subject research methodology, and (c) demonstrates how single-subject research methodology can be used to demonstrate educational validity.
TL;DR: In this paper, a survey was conducted in order to examine extended school year services for students with severe handicaps, and a six-item questionnaire was mailed to all 50 State Directors of Special Educat...
Abstract: A national survey was conducted in order to examine extended school year services for students with severe handicaps. A six-item questionnaire was mailed to all 50 State Directors of Special Educat...
TL;DR: The authors argued that the predominant emphasis upon single-subject research designs and the demonstration of the internal validity of intervention experiments were not sufficient for educational validity, a concept that requires systematic attention to larger issues of meaningfulness in relationship to criterion environments.
Abstract: Our article on educational validity summarized the major questions to be addressed for the evaluation of educational outcomes in programs for students with severe disabilities (Voeltz & Evans, 1983). In particular, we argued that the predominant emphasis upon single-subject research designs and the demonstration of the internal validity of intervention experiments were not sufficient for educational validity—a concept that requires systematic attention to larger issues of meaning-fulness in relationship to criterion environments. In this paper we respond to the arguments of Test, Spooner, and Cooke (1987) that single-subject design methodologies are capable of expansion to address educational validity. Based upon both theory and empirical data, we maintain that the serious limitations of the existing traditional methodologies continue to be problematic, so that we encourage movement toward a more comprehensive evaluative framework. Such a framework is critical to ensure that services and practices for per...
TL;DR: A national survey of 298 group homes and 138 foster homes serving adults with severe mental retardation was conducted in order to identify activities engaged in and skill competencies needed by adults living in these community residences.
Abstract: A national survey of 298 group homes and 138 foster homes serving adults with severe mental retardation was conducted in order to identify activities engaged in and skill competencies needed by adults living in these community residences. Residential staff were asked to rate 78 functional activities or skills in 8 categories; 31 of the activities were rated on a “frequency” scale and 47 skills were rated on a “need” scale. Foster home and group home staff gave similar ratings in five of the six “need” categories; however, group home staff indicated a greater need for outside work or day activity programs for their residents than did foster home staff. Furthermore, group home staff reported significantly higher frequency ratings for leisure activities than was reported in foster homes.
TL;DR: In this article, a descriptive study examined the unsupervised responding of a young man with profound handicaps and a lifelong history of dependence and two objectives were pursued: (a) to establish independent, u...
Abstract: This descriptive study examined the unsupervised responding of a young man with profound handicaps and a lifelong history of dependence. Two objectives were pursued: (a) to establish independent, u...
TL;DR: In this article, the advantages and disadvantages of competitive employment at or above minimum wage, competitive employment below minimum wage or contracted employment through a rehabilitation agency, and self-employment are discussed.
Abstract: This article describes the payment mechanisms currently available to reimburse workers with severe disabilities for work performed. The advantages and disadvantages of competitive employment at or above minimum wage, competitive employment below minimum wage, contracted employment through a rehabilitation agency, and self-employment are discussed. In addition, suggestions for utilization and regulatory reform are addressed.