Using Video Modeling Plus a System of Least Prompts to Teach People With Intellectual Disability to Participate in Faith Communities.

There is a need for meaningful inclusion of people with disabilities in faith communities beyond physical presence. Although it has been recommended that evidence-based practices be used to increase the meaningful participation of people with intellectual disability in faith communities, there is a lack of empirical studies. The purpose of this study was to examine the use of video modeling and the system of least prompts in teaching individuals with intellectual disability to participate in a community activity. The results indicated the intervention was effective in teaching the tasks in simulated situations and following acquisition, the behaviors generalized to the actual worship service or faith community setting.

Frequency of Mand Instruction Reported in Behavioral, Special Education, and Speech Journals.

The authors reviewed 10 years of research literature on teaching mands to individuals with developmental disabilities. Articles were selected from journals associated with three professional organizations (e.g., Association for Behavior Analysis, Council for Exceptional Children, and American Speech and Hearing Association). Findings were reported as frequencies of publication across journals and sets of journal. Furthermore, we reported on the several contextual variables reported within each study (i.e., age of participants, setting, change agent, response topography, generalization). Implications for practitioners are discussed.

Congregational participation and supports for children and adults with disabilities: parent perceptions.

Although religion and spirituality have received relatively limited attention in the literature addressing people with disabilities, each is strongly associated with a host of positive outcomes, including enhanced quality of life. One way to participate in religious activities and enhance spirituality is to participate in a faith community. In this article, we report findings from a survey of 416 parents exploring the ways in which they and their children with disabilities participated in their congregations and examining factors associated with participation and inclusion in those communities. Consistent with findings from general social surveys, the majority of parents indicated their faith was important to them and many-along with their sons or daughters with disabilities-participated in congregational activities. Although parents reported their sons and daughters with disabilities participated in somewhat fewer types of activities than they did, this involvement occurred most often in activities involving peers without disabilities. However, parents generally were not satisfied with the level of supports provided by faith communities, and they highly valued a welcoming and supportive attitude by the community. We discuss implications for extending inclusive efforts into congregational contexts and suggest future research directions.