Community-based instruction with profoundly mentally retarded persons: client and public responsiveness.
Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of a training program implemented in a community setting for teaching receptive language skills to profoundly mentally retarded persons. In Experiment 1, the program was implemented in a local department store and consisted of a least-to-most intrusive prompting paradigm and contingent consequences. The community-based training strategy was effective in teaching receptive identification of three objects to a profoundly mentally retarded adolescent. Additionally, generalized improvements occurred in other store locations, although cross-modal generalization in terms of changes in expressive skills did not occur. These results were replicated in Experiment 2 with two other clients in the same store, and in Experiment 3 with another client in an outdoor recreational area. Also, a questionnaire survey indicated that store employees in the first two experiments had very favorable reactions to the program. Results are discussed in regard to continued research with community-based training as a means of expanding educational opportunities for individuals who are profoundly mentally retarded.
Phillips
J F
JF
Western Carolina Center, Morganton, NC 28655.
Reid
D H
DH
Korabek
C A
CA
Hursh
D E
DE
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001290:Attitude; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D007808:Language Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D014825:Vocabulary