Ann Fullerton

Experimental Study of a Self-Determination Intervention for Youth in Foster Care

The aim of the study was to conduct a longitudinal, randomized clinical trial of the efficacy of TAKE CHARGE, a self-determination enhancement intervention, for promoting the school performance of youth in special education and foster care. A total of 133 youth were randomized to either a control group that received typical services, or to the intervention group that received coaching in the application of self-determination skills to achieve their goals, as well as participating in group mentoring workshops with successful young adult alumni of foster care. Findings on the outcomes of 123 youth who completed the study suggest gains for the intervention group in elements of self-determination, engagement in educational planning, school performance, and reduced anxiety and depression.

Training institutionalized, elderly mentally retarded persons as intervention agents for socially isolate peers

Abstract In this study each of two elderly mentally retarded women were taught to engage two withdrawn peers in appropriate social interaction. Three training techniques—minimal instructions, role playing, direct prompting—were evaluated in a combined multiple baseline and reversal design. The study was concerned also with the systematic fading of role playing and prompting procedures and the assessment of social behavior changes across time in nontreatment (generalization) setting. The results showed that: (a) both peer change agents effectively altered the social behavior of their designated target subject; (b) the three training procedures produced differential results across change agent-target person dyads; (c) both role playing and prompting techniques were faded successfully; and (d) none of the training techniques produced generalized behavior change.