Teaching on-task and on-schedule behaviors to high-functioning children with autism via picture activity schedules.

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effectiveness of a two-component teaching package (graduated guidance and visual activity schedules) in teaching young students with autism to increase on-task and on-schedule behavior. Four children enrolled in a resource-based classroom in a public elementary school served as participants. An A-B-A-B withdrawal design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of a picture activity schedule on the percentage of intervals scored as on-task and on-schedule. Generalization measures were taken on the percentage of intervals scored as on-task and on-schedule with novel activities. The results of the investigation indicate that (a) student performance rose to criterion levels upon introduction of the graduated guidance procedure, (b) student performance maintained when the picture activity book was available (Book Only) and dropped when the picture activity book was not available (No Book), and (c) student performance generalized to novel activities. The implications of these findings show the importance for future development and use of visual activity schedules to promote the independent functioning of students with autism spectrum disorders in their least restrictive environments.

Acquisition of incidental information during instruction for a response-chain skill.

We examined the acquisition of incidental information and observational learning of incidental information by adolescents with moderate intellectual disabilities during school-directed systematic instruction. Effectiveness of constant time-delay instruction for vocational-skill acquisition was evaluated within a multiple-probe design across six dyads. Dyadic instructional arrangements allowed the assessment of incidental information acquired through observation. The constant time-delay procedure was effective in teaching the target vocational skill. In addition, participants acquired and retained approximately 50% of the incidental information to which they were exposed during the consequent events of constant time-delay instruction either through direct verbal presentation or through observation of their peers' instruction.

Use of constant time delay in teaching multiplication facts to students with learning disabilities.

This study investigated the effectiveness and efficiency of a constant time-delay procedure in teaching multiplication facts to three male and two female elementary school students, aged 9 years 6 months to 12 years 5 months, identified as learning disabled. The five students were taught unknown facts using a 4-second constant time-delay procedure. Data were collected on generalization to a paper-and-pencil task, to a horizontal display orientation, and to the reverse fact, as well as incidentally acquired ability to solve missing-factor problems. Results indicated that the near-errorless learning procedure was effective and efficient in teaching multiplication facts to students with learning disabilities. Learning generalized to a paper-and-pencil task, to a different presentation orientation, and to the reverse fact.

Teaching preschool children with disabilities to respond to the lures of strangers.

An investigation was conducted to determine the effectiveness of a constant-time-delay procedure used in combination with multiple exemplars of strangers, lures, and sites to teach a generalized response to the lures of strangers to four preschool children with disabilities. Although the correct response was quickly acquired in the training site, the response failed to generalize to the probe sites until training was conducted in vivo. Instruction in vivo resulted in acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of the response to strangers' lures. Generalization occurred across probes with novel exemplars of lures, strangers, and sites.

Small-group instruction for students with learning disabilities: observational and incidental learning.

This study evaluated the effectiveness and efficiency of constant time delay (a near errorless learning procedure) in a small-group instructional arrangement. Three fifth-grade students with learning disabilities were taught to recognize multisyllabic basal vocabulary words. A multiple-probe design across behaviors (word sets) was used to evaluate the procedure. Following instruction on each word set, students were assessed on their ability to recognize their own target words, recognize observational words, spell both target and observational words, and define both target and observational words. The results indicated that the constant time-delay procedure was reliably implemented and was effective in establishing criterion-level performance for all students with extremely low error percentages.

Teaching safety skills to high school students with moderate disabilities.

Teaching students with disabilities to respond appropriately to potentially dangerous situations is a useful skill that has received little research attention. This investigation taught 3 students with moderate mental retardation to remove and discard broken materials (plates, glasses) safely from (a) a sink containing dishwater, (b) a countertop, and (c) a floor. A 4th student was instructed on the sink task only. A multicomponent treatment package was used to teach the skills. Simulated materials were used initially and were replaced with broken plates and glasses. A multiple probe design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment package. The results indicated that the treatment package was effective in teaching the skills. Data were collected 1 week and 1 month following the completion of training, and indicated mixed results. No student was injured during any phase of training. Issues pertinent to teaching safety skills to students with moderate disabilities are discussed.

Constant time delay with discrete responses: a review of effectiveness and demographic, procedural, and methodological parameters.

Constant time delay, a variation of progressive time delay, is a response prompting strategy designed to provide and remove prompts in a systematic manner on a time dimension. Constant time delay has two defining characteristics: (a) initial trials involve presentation of the target stimulus followed immediately by delivery of a controlling prompt; and (b) on all subsequent trials, the target stimulus is presented, a response interval of a fixed duration is delivered, the controlling prompt is provided, and a second response interval is delivered as needed. Reports of 36 studies using the constant time delay procedure with discrete behaviors were identified and analyzed. The results are described in terms of demographic variables (i.e., the types of subjects, settings, behaviors, instructors, and instructional arrangements), and the procedural parameters of the strategy. The effectiveness of the strategy and the outcome measures are summarized. Finally, the methodological adequacy of the constant time delay research is examined. Implications for practice and for further research are presented.

Assessing the acquisition of incidental information by secondary-age students with mental retardation: comparison of response prompting strategies.

The effectiveness and efficiency of four response prompting conditions (progressive time delay, progressive time delay with a descriptive consequent event, system of least prompts, and system of least prompts with a descriptive consequent event) were compared. Students with moderate to severe mental retardation were taught to read functional recipe words. Maintenance and students' acquisition of incidental information were assessed when it was (a) embedded in the prompts of the system of least prompts procedure, (b) included in the descriptive praise statements following correct performance with the progressive time delay and system of least prompts procedures, and (c) not presented. A multiple probe design across behaviors, replicated across subjects, was used. Results indicated that (a) each of the procedures produced criterion level responding: (b) efficiency data on traditional measures were roughly equal; (c) maintenance checks showed no differential effects related to the instructional condition; and (d) incidental information was acquired, although it was not directly targeted for instruction.

Use of constant time delay and attentional responses with adolescents.

This study investigated the effectiveness of a constant time delay procedure in teaching adolescents with learning or behavior disorders. Subject matter included social studies and health facts presented in small-group settings. In addition, the study assessed the effects of two attentional responses (general--looking at the target stimuli, or specific--repeating the teacher's question) on students' acquisition of other students' facts and of related nontarget information. Two types of feedback for correct responses were presented: praise plus additional information, and general praise only. Results of various measures indicate that (a) the constant time delay procedure was reliable and effective; (b) students not only acquired targeted facts with few errors, but also acquired some other nontargeted facts, such as information presented along with feedback; and (c) specific attentional responses facilitated acquisition of observational and incidental facts and maintenance of learning.

Comparison of constant time delay and the system of least prompts in teaching preschoolers with developmental delays.

This investigation compared the effectiveness and efficiency (sessions, errors, percent of errors, and minutes of instructional time through criterion) of constant time delay and the system of least prompts in teaching sight words to developmentally delayed preschoolers. Maintenance of sight words and generalization across instructors and materials were assessed. Also, students' acquisition of relationships between the target behavior and previously learned information were assessed. Two sessions were conducted each day in their classroom, one with each procedure. Two of the children were taught 16 words and one child learned 12 words. The parallel treatments design was used to assess the effectiveness of the two instructional strategies. The results indicated that (a) both strategies produced criterion level responding in the instructional setting, (b) constant time delay resulted in fewer total trials, errors, percent of errors, and minutes of direct instructional time through criterion than the system of least prompts, (c) both strategies produced criterion-level responding that maintained in 1-, 3- and 5-week follow-up probes, (d) both strategies resulted in generalization across instructors and materials, and (e) both strategies resulted in cross-modal generalization from expressive to receptive, receptive and expressive identification of the words' function or action, and matching the written word to a photograph of its referent.

Review of comparative studies in the instruction of students with moderate and severe handicaps.

Systematic instructional strategies that investigators have used with students who display moderate to severe handicaps were identified and defined. The investigations which directly compared two or more strategies were analyzed, and summary statements/recommendations about the relative effectiveness and efficiency of the strategies were made. Analyzing the effectiveness of the procedures involved determining which strategies successfully taught skills to subjects. The efficiency of the strategies was analyzed on measures which indicated the skills were taught in a productive and timely manner (i.e., trials to criterion, sessions to criterion, errors to criterion, direct instruction time). Recommendations for future research and practice include (a) conduct more studies comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of instructional strategies, (b) conduct investigations of the specific variables of single strategies to identify the most efficient use of each procedure, (c) expand the efficiency measures to assess whether students learn information not directly targeted for instruction, and (d) conduct research to determine which strategy is best to use with given types of students and skills.

Establishing conditional discriminations: concurrent versus isolation-intermix instruction.

This paper describes an investigation comparing the effectiveness and efficiency (sessions to criterion, errors to criterion, minutes of instructional time) of concurrent and isolation-intermix instruction in teaching four preschool children to read words found in community and school environments. Two students were taught words using constant time delay and two progressive time delay across the two different conditions. Concurrent instruction consisted of two sessions per day where two words were randomly presented within each session until criterion was reached and a conditional discrimination was established. The isolation-intermix condition involved two sessions per day where each word was taught in separate daily sessions until criterion was reached and a simple discrimination was established (isolation instruction); followed by random presentation of both words within each daily session until the conditional discrimination was acquired (intermix). Concurrent instruction resulted in students learning conditional discriminations in fewer trials and minutes of instructional time. These data suggest that teachers should structure their instruction to teach conditional discriminations from the beginning rather than teaching simple discriminations.

Comparison of response prompting procedures in teaching numeral identification to autistic subjects.

This investigation compared the effectiveness and efficiency (sessions, trials, percentage of errors, direct instructional time through criterion, and incidental information learned) of constant time delay and system of least prompts in teaching students with autism to name numerals. Two sessions were provided each day; one with constant time delay and one with system of least prompts. Two students learned 16 numerals, and one student did not learn any numerals with these two procedures. The parallel treatments design was used to assess the effects of the two instructional strategies. The results indicate that both procedures were effective in raising responding to criterion levels for two subjects. The constant time-delay procedure was more efficient than the system of least prompts procedure in terms of sessions, trials, percentage of errors, and direct instructional time through criterion. No differences in efficiency were found for the measure of incidental information learned.

Comparison of progressive and constant time-delay procedures in teaching community-sign word reading.

The effectiveness and efficiency of a progressive and constant time-delay procedure was compared. Three students with moderate mental retardation were taught to read 12 words commonly found on community signs. Six words were taught using a progressive time-delay procedure and six, using a constant time-delay procedure. The effectiveness of the two procedures was evaluated through the use of a parallel treatments design across sign words and replicated across subjects. Results show that both procedures were effective, with the constant time-delay procedure slightly more efficient in terms of number of minutes of direct instructional time and number of sessions to criterion. Both procedures generated error percentages of 1.4 or less. Findings were discussed in terms of selecting instructional strategies.

The effectiveness of a constant time-delay procedure to teach chained responses to adolescents with mental retardation.

The effectiveness of a 5-s constant time-delay procedure to teach three chained food preparation behaviors to four moderately retarded adolescent students was evaluated within a multiple probe design across behaviors. Results indicate that the procedure was effective in teaching all four students to make a sandwich, boil a boil-in-bag item, and bake canned biscuits. The skills maintained with at least 85% accuracy over a 3-month period. Training generalized from the school to the home setting for the 2 subjects that completed generalization probe sessions. The percentage of errors across all skills and students was less than 9%.

A comparison of time delay and system of least prompts in teaching object identification.

This study is a comparison of two response prompting procedures: Progressive time delay and system of least prompts. Three students with severe handicaps were each taught to identify eight functional objects, four objects with each prompting procedure. The procedures were compared in terms of effectiveness (establishing criterion level correct responding) and efficiency, (sessions and trials to criterion, errors to criterion, and the number of minutes of direct instructional time). A combination of two concurrently operating multiple probe designs (Parallel Treatments Design) in which extraneous variables were counterbalanced across sessions was employed. An analysis of the results indicates that both prompting procedures were effective in establishing correct responding at criterion levels, but the time delay procedure required fewer sessions, trials, and errors to criterion, and fewer minutes of direct instruction time than did the system of least prompts. Issues for further comparative research are discussed.

Stereotypic behavior as a reinforcer: effects and side effects.

This study assessed the effects and side effects of using stereotypic behavior as a consequence for correct responding with two autistic children. The children were cued through a model to engage in stereotypic behavior contingent upon correct responses in task-training sessions. This instructional arrangement produced increases in the percent of correct responses. Measures of the stereotypic behavior used as a reinforcer, other stereotypic behaviors, and appropriate behaviors were collected during daily 5-minute free operant settings before and after the task-training sessions. No replicable, systematic changes in the percent of intervals in which subjects engaged in those side effect measures were noted. Thus, a new method for delivering stereotypic behavior as a reinforcer was investigated and produced reinforcing effects; the rate of that behavior in free operant settings was not adversely affected.

Teaching number-word equivalences: a study of transfer.

The study was designed to determine whether retarded adolescents and nonretarded preschool children would generalize to other tasks involving printed number names if they were taught the number names in an auditory-receptive task. Four nonretarded preschool children and three retarded children participated. All children could count and use spoken and printed numerals. None of the children could adequately perform any task involving printed number words. After receiving training on an auditory-receptive task involving printed number words, all children improved their performance on tasks involving matching printed number words and numerals and printed number words and sets and improved in their ability to name printed number words.