The utility of self-management procedures in modifying the classroom behaviors of mentally retarded adolescents.

Self-management procedures including the self-recording of points, the self-graphing of progress, and the self-selecting of free time activities were applied to the classroom behaviors of 12-year-old educable mentally retarded subjects. Students were first awarded points for specified appropriate behaviors. Then during the last two treatment phases, they graphed their points earnings and used these points to earn free time activities. A multiple baseline design was used in appraising the comparative effects of these three treatment conditions during spelling and reading periods. All three treatment conditions produced higher rates of appropriate behavior than did baseline conditions; however, the highest levels of appropriate behavior were achieved during the self-selected free time phases.