We examined the comparative effects of three specialized remediation procedures on the spelling accuracy of students with moderate mental retardation. In the first experiment, we compared directed rehearsal and imitation training against a no-training control condition, in an alternating treatments design. Both procedures were more effective than a no-training control condition, and imitation training was marginally more effective than directed rehearsal. In the second experiment, we investigated further the effectiveness of imitation training by comparing its effects against interspersal training and a no-training control condition in an alternating treatments design. Although both procedures were more effective than no training, there was little difference between the two procedures, in terms of the students’ rate of learning new words. This study showed that these three specialized remediation procedures can be used to increase the spelling proficiency of students with moderate mental retardation.

This study demonstrates the effective use of a changing criterion procedure, incorporating backward chaining and contingent social reinforcement to teach an autistic youth to tie shoe laces. A task analysis was undertaken to identify the six components of the task and backward chaining was employed to facilitate task completion. The speedy and successful implementation of this procedure suggests that it might usefully be employed in other areas of self care training.

This paper considers the nature of communicative spontaneity and examines current communication teaching strategies. Contemporary thinking on the nature of spontaneity is examined and its relation to stimulus control and generalisation is discussed. The possible mechanisms by which communication training strategies could induce transfer of stimulus control and assist in the development of spontaneous responding are then considered. Current naturalistic communication training strategies are briefly overviewed and examined in relation to efficacy research and their potential to induce transfer of stimulus control and communicative spontaneity. A taxonomy of communicative cues and prompts is then proposed. Areas for further research are identified

The aim of the present study was to describe the strategies used by four staff when teaching people who have intellectual disabilities in residential and vocational facilities, and to compare their teaching methods with the strategies taught in staff training courses. Data was collected during three months of participant observation, and showed that effective instruction occurred through a range of strategies which emphasised teaching as an interactive process based on a close knowledge of the client. While the participating staff used aspects of behavioural instruction techniques, they did not write programs or record, collect or graph data, even though their training courses suggested they should do so, indicating a discrepancy between usual practices and staff training.

Three years of intervention to improve the language skills of children with severe intellectual disability are reported. Family based teaching, therapy and counselling programs were used as the basis of the interventions. Repeated language measures (norm referenced) were used to assess the effects of the interventions. Comparison with other language intervention studies are made. The distinct features of the effective behaviourally oriented teaching program are identified.

Two Hong Kong studies are described which investigate the perceptions of junior secondary school pupils (high- and low-achieving) concerning the effectiveness of rewards and punishments. Both studies employ versions of Caffyn’s questionnaire. Initial analysis reveals that (a) there is a relationship between disaffection and achievement, and (b) pupils of both achievement levels have more favourable perceptions regarding the effectiveness of rewards than they do of punishments. A focus on the relationships between achievement and perceptions reveals that (c) high-achievers perceive a large number of rewards as more effective than do low-achievers, (d) low-achievers perceive very few other rewards as being more effective than do high-achievers, and (e) the situation is a little more balanced for punishments. The paper includes a discussion regarding particular reward and punishment items perceptions about which differentiate low-and high-achievers. Finally, it is noted that there is a high level of consistency between findings in the two studies reported in this paper. Where it is possible to make comparisons with other research findings from Hong Kong and elsewhere, a high degree of agreement between such findings is found.

A demonstration study is described in which self-recording was implemented with an upper primary class of ten children with learning difficulties. Following a baseline period, an alternating conditions design was employed which demonstrated a mean rise in on-task behaviour of 10% as a result of the self-recording intervention employed.