A comparison of behavioral techniques to teach functional independent-living skills to individuals with severe and profound mental retardation.

The efficacy of two treatment approaches was compared for functional skill acquisition in individuals with severe and profound mental retardation. Participants included 22 residents from a large developmental center (Pinecrest) in central Louisiana. Treatment including staff training, feedback, and edible reinforcement in addition to prompting, modeling, and physical guidance was more effective than prompting, modeling, and physical guidance alone. Additionally, daily documentation of teaching did not enhance treatment effectiveness. Implications of the findings are discussed.