The Development of Fluency, Stimulus Generalisation and Response Maintenance of Student Academic Engaged Time with Children in a Special School: an educational mainstream preparation procedure validated against normative peer data

Abstract

This paper argues that direct programming for generalised outcomes, in conjunction with attention to the acquisition of fluency, of socially valued classroom responses is essential when preparing children in a separate special education facility for the regular school classroom. The present within‐subject analysis examined whether: (a) strengthening the specific components of student academic engaged time using a token economy; then (b) fading continuous social reinforcement plus feedback to intermittent schedules once criterion had been reached; and finally, (c) shifting the locus of control of consequences of classroom performance, including regular school placement, from external sources to the child himself, would result in subjects generalising gains made over time and settings. Four of the six subjects successfully demonstrated generalisation of performance levels across time. Two of these four further generalised their performance across classrooms. A comparison of their data with normative peer data indicated that a socially valid behavioural change had occurred.

Notes

*Now at the School of Education, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales 2113, Australia.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Diane Berryman*

*Now at the School of Education, Macquarie University, North Ryde, New South Wales 2113, Australia.