Andrew R. Brulle

Correspondence between effectivemess and staff use of instructions for severely retarded persons

Abstract While professionals and paraprofessionals working with mentally retarded persons have become involved in extraordinarily diverse areas affecting the lives of their clients, including the social, political, economic, and educational areas, the latter has received the perponderance of professional attention. Within this area, the focus of attention has typically been on the manipulation of consequences to modify the behavior of mentally retarded persons. The present study, though, examined whether staff tended to use the most effective forms of a common antecedent event (instructions) while teaching students. The findings show that the most common form of instruction (verbal instruction) was not the most effective form of instruction used by staff for nine groups of mentally retarded persons. In each cause, at least one of four other types of antecedents was more effective. Discussion centers around the appropriate identification and use of specific types of instruction for the nine subgroups of mentally retarded persons observed.

Effects of Differential Scheduling of Timeout to Reduce Maladaptive Responding

One popular mode of treatment for the reduction of maladaptive responding has been the use of timeout procedures. Historically, these procedures have generally been administered on a continuous schedule. In this study, the effects of using a differential schedule of timeout and allowing one maladaptive response per interval before timeout procedures were implemented were studied. The subjects were three school-aged children who had been identified as mentally retarded. The study used a multiple-baseline design, and demonstrated that a differential schedule of timeout was effective in reducing the target maladaptive behaviors. In addition, by permitting one behavior to occur within an interval which occasioned only a warning, the students were allowed to develop self-control within a structured setting. Suggestions for teacher implementation are provided.

Reducing Aggressive Behavior of Mentally Retarded Persons

Aggressive behavior by mentally retarded persons is a cause for concern for all helping professionals. One reason is that aggressive behavior may endanger the safety of the client himself, other mentally retarded clients, and/or the staff who deal directly with the clientele. Obviously, behavior such as attacking other clients or throwing furniture can cause serious safety hazards. A second reason is that this behavior can and does demand considerable staff attention, and thus subtracts from the total time that the staff can devote to more habilitative procedures (e.g., job training, self-care, etc.). It is precisely for these reasons that many techniques have been developed to help reduce aggressive responding in mentally retarded clients.

Naturalistic studies of mentally retarded persons: V: The effects of staff instructions on student responding.

A naturalistic study, with two purposes, was conducted to evaluate communication between staff and retarded persons in an institutional and in a community setting. The first purpose was to determine the natural rates of attention from staff in the form of instructions. Results showed that verbal instruction was the most prevalent (67%) followed by verbal instruction with physical assistance (12%), nonverbal instruction with physical assistance (10%), nonverbal instruction (6%), and physical assistance (5%). The second purpose was to determine the relative effectiveness of each of these types of instructions. Results showed that although verbal instruction was the most common, it was not the most effective, being surpassed by nonverbal instruction and nonverbal instruction with physical assistance. Results were discussed in terms of (a) their relation to prior research, (b) their use as nomothetic data to provide initial instruction modes, and (c) their use with specific persons on whom individual data have been collected.

Evaluating LRE Decisions Through Social Comparison

Extensive observational data were gathered in high school classrooms for handicapped and nonhandicapped students in an effort to (a) establish social norms for comparison purposes, and (b) help determine which handicapped students were performing well enough to be integrated with the nonhandicapped students. In Phase 1 of this study, data were gathered on eight behaviors in eight sections of two different classes utilizing 10-second momentary time sampling procedures. Significant difference in two behaviors (reading and listening/participation) were noted between the handicapped and nonhandicapped students. These significant differences reflected a difference in programming between the special education and the regular classes. In Phase 2, data were gathered on individual, handicapped students who were being considered for placement in a regular class. These data were then compared with the data gathered on the nonhandicapped students in Phase 1. The comparisons indicated that one student was performing well enough to be integrated at the present time, but that the other student needed a more intense behavioral program before integration would have a reasonable chance of success. This procedure could help to objectify the decision-making processes local districts follow when considering individual students for LRE moves. This objectification could then lead to fewer unsuccessful placements due to social behavior problems. Suggestions for incorporation of this process at the local level are included.

A Comparison of Teacher Time Spent with Physically Handicapped and Able-Bodied Students

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