This study investigated the effectiveness of a treatment package that included video technology (e.g., video modeling and video prompting) to teach three self-help skills (e.g., cleaning sunglasses, putting on a wrist watch, and zipping a jacket) to 3 elementary school students with mental disabilities in a small group setting. Using a constant time delay (CTD) procedure, observers measured the percentage of steps of the task analyses performed correctly before and after a video model prompt. A multiple probe design across behaviors, replicated across participants, demonstrated experimental control. The results indicate that an instructional package that includes video technology can be an effective method for teaching self-help skills to students with mental disabilities.

Although religion and spirituality have received relatively limited attention in the literature addressing people with disabilities, each is strongly associated with a host of positive outcomes, including enhanced quality of life. One way to participate in religious activities and enhance spirituality is to participate in a faith community. In this article, we report findings from a survey of 416 parents exploring the ways in which they and their children with disabilities participated in their congregations and examining factors associated with participation and inclusion in those communities. Consistent with findings from general social surveys, the majority of parents indicated their faith was important to them and many-along with their sons or daughters with disabilities-participated in congregational activities. Although parents reported their sons and daughters with disabilities participated in somewhat fewer types of activities than they did, this involvement occurred most often in activities involving peers without disabilities. However, parents generally were not satisfied with the level of supports provided by faith communities, and they highly valued a welcoming and supportive attitude by the community. We discuss implications for extending inclusive efforts into congregational contexts and suggest future research directions.

In this investigation, the acquisition of both functional and core content sight Words Was compared as replicated across three formats: direct massed trial instruction in a special education resource room, direct distributed trial instruction in a general education classroom, and embedded distributed trial instruction in a general education classroom. Four students With moderate disabilities across three age groups participated. During direct instructional trials, both functional and core content sight Words Were presented using a constant time delay procedure. During embedded trials, the students received instruction in the same manner as their peers Without disabilities (e.g., teacher lecture, Worksheets, activities). Although the results varied slightly across participants, there Were minimal differences in the acquisition and maintenance of both functional and core content sight Words across the three presentation formats.

Providing standards-based instruction in core content areas for individuals with moderate and severe disabilities is a hot topic in the field of special education, and teachers struggle to find the best methods for providing high-quality standards-based instruction in core content areas that also has personal relevance for the students. This investigation evaluated the effectiveness of a simultaneous prompting procedure to teach four adolescents with moderate intellectual disabilities to use the Pythagorean theorem to solve real-life scenarios (i.e., sewing, using a ladder, finding dimensions of a screen) shown on a short video on an iPad. A multiple probe design across participants evaluated the effectiveness of the procedure. Results indicate the participants acquired the skill of using the Pythagorean theorem and generalized it to additional real-life, novel problems. Social validity, limitations, and implications for practitioners are also discussed.

The researchers in this study used a multiple baseline design across dyads to examine the effects of professional development with coaching to train general education teachers to use a simultaneous prompting procedure when teaching academic core content to students with autism and the effects of the procedure on the students’ outcomes. Three teacher–student dyads participated in the study. Results showed that (a) teachers acquired the ability to use the simultaneous prompting procedure with 100% accuracy, maintained the acquired teaching behaviors over time, and generalized them in teaching new academic content to their students; and (b) students acquired the targeted academic content, maintained it over time, and generalized it across different persons and settings. In addition, the students acquired instructive feedback stimuli added to instruction and maintained these over time as well. Last, both the opinions of the teachers and students about the social validity of the study were positive. Future research is needed to support these findings.