Behavioral Technology for Instructional Readiness

描述(由申请人提供)：本申请寻求对STTR第二阶段项目的支持，以完成一种基于计算机的产品的开发，该产品旨在教育中度至重度智力低下、自闭症和其他智力残疾的儿童。该产品主要针对那些在第一阶段项目期间缺乏参与计算机辅助教学的行为先决条件的学生，我们成功地将成熟的和广泛研究的行为方法应用于家长、教师和其他帮助专业人员。这些方法包括识别和评估潜在的正面强化的程序，确定在教学过程中使用的后果，验证这些后果实际上作为正面强化是有效的，形成适当的反应(例如，指向指示选择)，以及教授基本的视觉辨别技能。一期现场测试结果表明，该软件原型可以在典型的教学场景中有效使用。虽然拟议的产品将非常适合学生为基于计算机的教学做准备，但其组件将单独或结合使用，帮助严重智力障碍儿童为具有类似行为先决条件的其他形式的教学做好准备。例子包括“离散试验”方法、增强性/替代性沟通训练，以及几乎任何需要注意视觉教材、明确和毫不含糊的选择反应和有效反馈的教学情景。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application seeks support for an STTR Phase II project to complete development of a computer-based product intended for teaching children with moderate to severe mental retardation, autism, and other intellectual disabilities. The product is primarily targeted to those students who lack the behavioral prerequisites to participate in computer-assisted instruction In the Phase-I project period, we successfully adapted well-developed and extensively researched behavioral methods for use by parents, teachers, and other helping professionals. These methods include procedures for identifying and evaluating potential positive reinforcers, establishing consequences for use during instruction, verifying that consequences are in fact effective as positive reinforcement, shaping appropriate responses (e g, pointing to indicate a selection), and teaching basic visual discrimination skills. Phase-I field test results showed that the software prototype could be used effectively in typical teaching situations. While the proposed product will be ideally suited to prepare students for computer-based instruction, its components will be useful separately or in combination to help prepare children with severe mental retardation for other forms of instruction with similar behavioral prerequisites. Examples include "discrete-trial" methods, augmentative/alternative communication training, and virtually any instructional situation that requires attention to visual teaching materials, clear and unambiguous selection responses, and effective feedback.