Teaching Persons with Severe Disabilities to Use Self-Instruction in Community Settings: An Analysis of Applications

In: The journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps: JASH, Band 18, Heft 4, S. 261-274

Abstract

Community instruction for individuals with severe disabilities rarely incorporates programming for independence. This article reviews and analyzes investigations of the effects of self-instructional programs on increasing the independence of persons with moderate or severe mental retardation in integrated environments. The conceptual role of self-instruction in promoting behavior change is discussed and variations in self-instructional teaching approaches are analyzed. Overall, the feasibility of teaching persons with severe disabilities to self-instruct to promote acquisition, generalization, and maintenance across diverse skills is supported. Methodological issues related to investigations of self-instruction are discussed, recommendations for implementing self-instructional programs are provided, and directions for future research are proposed.