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While supported employment has made significant gains since its formal introduction in 1984 (P.L. 98–527), segregated services continue to outpace the growth of supported employment. We discuss these and other important trends in this article, and conclude with recommendations that include (1) ensuring that all young adults leave high school competitively used or admitted to postsecondary education by age 18 and (2) that high schools coordinate post-placement follow-up for 3 years following employment or enrollment in postsecondary education. These recommendations are made because although current research suggests practices exist to employ persons with severe disabilities outside sheltered workshops and adult day care centers, these programs continue to grow at an alarming rate. In fact, the growth of supported employment has all but stalled since 2000. Diverting people and resources at the juncture between high school preparation and assuming adult roles such as employment appears to be a more realistic plan to promote integrated services over the foreseeable future.

The purpose of this investigation was to analyze the effect of choice on the behaviors of four children with severe handicaps. The investigation compared each individual's behaviors during participation in a chosen leisure activity (contingent participation) to behaviors during participation in the same leisure activity without the opportunity for choice (noncontingent participation). A multiple baseline, single-subject design was used that incorporated the introduction of three different conditions across subjects at different points in time. Changes were noted in the behaviors of attending and manipulation during each of the three conditions and were replicated across students to support the conclusion that there was a difference between the students' behaviors during their participation in a chosen leisure activity and their behaviors during participation in the same activity without choice.

In this study three severely handicapped school-aged students were trained to cross the street. The students were provided preinstruction, instructional feedback, and selective repeated practice to acquire the skills to cross the street at partially controlled intersections; selective repeated practice was introduced only when physical assistance was required on those skills students found particularly difficult to learn; a rehearsal and model phase was eventually used to promote independent street crossing. Data were collected on the following training clusters: approach (walking to and stopping on the curb), look (looking behind, in front, left, and right), step (stepping off the curb when no cars were coming), and walk (walking quickly across the street and stopping on the other side). Results of the multiple baseline design indicated that instructional feedback was sufficient in training the approach and walk behaviors but selective repeated practice was required to establish the look responses. A partial reversal following withdrawal of instructional feedback suggested withdrawing all treatment components would result in total loss of behavior gains. Therefore, rehearsal in the form of performing the entire sequence with the trainer and then a trainer model was tried. This strategy increased the number of independent decisions to step and walk across the street. Generalization probes on untreated, partially controlled intersections suggested that each student used the newly acquired behaviors appropriately. Future research is suggested in the areas of training two-behavior versus four-behavior chains, using repeated practice to facilitate acquisition and teach independent decision making to severely handicapped students.

Recently overcorrection has been used to discourage inappropriate behaviors and encourage appropriate behaviors of severely and profoundly handicapped people. This procedure has combined verbal reprimands, verbal instructions, and manual guidance (if necessary) and dictates that an offender "overcorrect" his misbehavior. Two types of overcorrection training have been reported – restitutional overcorrection, in which the individual restores a disturbed setting or situation to a state vastly improved from that existing prior to the disruption, and positive practice overcorrection, requiring that the individual practice appropriate modes of responding several times following inappropriate behavior. This paper reviews the components of overcorrection, the rationale for its use, the two types of overcorrection training reported, the levels of instructional assistance, and some common misinterpretations. And it suggests extensions to the vocational and social development of the severely/profoundly handicapped.

Research related to the use of the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) with individuals having autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) was examined using a communication competence paradigm detailed by J. C. Light (1988, 1989, 2003). Communication components were operationalized based on skills identified in ASD research. A review was conducted to examine general PECS outcomes and outcomes related to communication competence including generalized, spontaneous, and joint attention abilities, and maintenance. Results indicated that there were few empirical studies related to the PECS. Of note, the reported studies indicated generally positive outcomes for individuals with ASDs, particularly related to manding and generalization. When the communication competence paradigm was applied, results indicated that, in its present form, the PECS needs to be used as a part of a multimodal communication system. Results suggest that training related to the PECS includes joint attention and question asking. Recommendations for the use of PECS and future research with individuals having ASDs are outlined.