Passive and Active Approach Responses in Preference Assessment for Children With Profound Multiple Disabilities and Minimal Movement.

We assessed the activity preferences of three children with profound multiple disabilities and minimal movement using a single stimulus presentation procedure. We recorded active approach, passive approach, and rejection responses on each trial during the assessments. Active approach included reaching for, touching, or manipulating the stimulus. Passive approach included looking at or orienting toward the stimulus and happiness indicators such as smiling. Active approaches and rejection responses were infrequent, but preference hierarchies based on passive approaches emerged for all three children. Two children were available for reinforcer testing after the preference assessments. The identified high preference activities based on passive approach responses maintained higher rates of switch pressing than the low preference activities for one child and maintained approximately the same rates of switch pressing for the second child.

Predicting learning ability of people with intellectual disabilities: assessment of basic learning abilities test versus caregivers' predictions.

Two sets of predictions were compared concerning the ability of 20 adults with profound, severe, or moderate intellectual disabilities to learn 15 everyday tasks. Predictions were made by caregivers who had worked with the participants for a minimum of 24 months and consideration of participant performance on the Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) test. Standardized training procedures were used to attempt to teach each task to each participant until a pass or fail criterion was met. Ninety-four percent of predictions based on ABLA performance were confirmed, and the ABLA was significantly more accurate for predicting client performance than were the caregivers. The utility of these results is discussed.

SENSITIVITY OF PASSIVE APPROACH DURING PREFERENCE AND REINFORCER ASSESSMENTS FOR CHILDREN WITH SEVERE AND PROFOUND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AND MINIMAL MOVEMENT.

We evaluated the use of passive approach to assess preferences of two children, with severe and profound intellectual disabilities. Both children had physical challenges and exhibited minimal physical movement. We also compared the relative reinforcing effects of the identified high and low preference stimuli for a switch pressing response, and for a more passive looking response. High and low preference stimuli were identified for both children. Moreover, the high preference stimulus maintained higher rates of responding than the low preference stimulus for both children for the passive looking response, but not for switch pressing. The study extended the use of passive approach to assess preferences and identified the choice of target response as a potential limiting factor during reinforcer tests for these children.

Effects of Choice of Work Tasks on On-Task, Aberrant, Happiness and Unhappiness Behaviours of Persons with Developmental Disabilities.

Effects of choice versus no choice of work tasks on work performance, inappropriate behaviours, happiness and unhappiness indices were examined in three studies. Study 1 examined the effects of a choice between a high and a low preference task, versus the assignment of the high preference task. Study 2 was similar to Study 1 except that the tasks in the choice condition were equally and moderately preferred. Study 3 was conducted by the participants' instructors in their natural work settings. A total of five participants were involved across the three studies. Very few differences were found under the choice and no-choice conditions. More research is needed to examine the role of reinforcement history in establishing stimulus control effects of choice.