We taught three mentally handicapped students to answer questions with verbal labels and evaluated the generalized effects of this training on their maladaptive speech (e.g., echolalia) and correct responding to untrained questions. The students received cues-pause-point training on an initial question set followed by generalization assessments on a different set in another setting. Probes were conducted on novel questions in three other settings to determine the strength and spread of the generalization effect. A multiple baseline across subjects design revealed that maladaptive speech was replaced with correct labels (answers) to questions in the training and all generalization settings. These results replicate and extend previous research that suggested that cues-pause-point procedures may be useful in replacing maladaptive speech patterns by teaching students to use their verbal labeling repertoires.

This study developed and evaluated a program for teaching a verbal problem-solving strategy to mildly mentally handicapped adults. Six general areas were targeted for training: Community Awareness, Authority Figures, Peer Issues, Stating One's Rights, Emergencies and Injuries, and Safety. The program features response-specific feedback, modeling, self-monitoring, positive reinforcement, response practice, self-correction, and individualized performance criterion levels. The experimental group (N = 3) received baseline, training, probes, and pre/posttraining generalization assessments, whereas the control group (N = 3) received only the pre/posttraining assessments. The generalization and probe assessments contained situations that were both similar and dissimilar to the training situations. The three month posttraining results revealed that the experimental subjects' problem-solving skills had generalized to both types of situations, whereas the control group showed little overall change. Furthermore, the experimental group's three month scores were comparable to those of a group of nonhandicapped individuals. Issues related to these results and suggestions for future research are discussed.

This study assessed the applicability of Cues-Pause-Point language training procedures in teaching students to obtain information from the statements of others. Two mentally retarded subjects, one of whom was echolalic, received training on one set of stimuli but not on another. During training the subjects were encouraged to remain quiet before, during, and briefly after the presentation of statements and then verbalize (i.e., answer a question) using the verbal cue(s) that had been presented in the statement. Correct responding reached 100% to the trained stimuli and both subjects' responding improved to the untrained stimuli. Posttests revealed that subjects used the trainer's statements to answer novel questions. The results suggest that Cues-PausePoint procedures may be useful in teaching severely retarded individuals the functional use of observing and listening to others' verbal behavior. have recently developed a set of training procedures called Cues-Pause-Point that teach echolalics a new language strategy. The basic procedural rationale is to teach these individuals to use various types of physical cues in their environment to answer questions as a replacement for the maladaptive language strategy (i.e., echolalia) that they previously used. The procedures required the student to (1) remain quiet when the trainer held up his index finger before, during, and

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A social skills training program was evaluated with emotionally disturbed adolescent inpatients. The targeted social skills required an action or reaction within six skill areas. The program was adapted from a commercially available social skills training game that features the use of response specific feedback, self-monitoring, individualized reinforcers, and individualized performance criteria. A peer conducted the baseline and posttraining sessions while the training was conducted by an adult who had no previous interactive history with the subjects. A multiple baseline design across groups demonstrated that the program increased appropriate responding in all skill areas and that these effects generalized during the posttraining peer conducted sessions. A generalization test indicated that the subjects used their newly learned skills with a novel adult outside the training setting. The program appears quite applicable to emotionally disturbed adolescents since it targets skills in a variety of areas and employs standardized procedures to enhance replicability.