Teaching intermittent self-catheterization skills to mentally retarded children.

In an A-B design with replication, the efficacy of a behavioral training program for teaching two mildly retarded children intermittent self-catheterization skills was assessed. Component skills were task-analyzed and trained via a graduated prompting procedure. Results indicated that both children rapidly acquired the component skills necessary to perform self-catheterization in an accurate and nearly independent manner. Benefits of children engaging in their own health-care maintenance are discussed.