Student preference of sensory reinforcers was investigated using three severely mentally retarded, multiply physically handicapped males. The subjects ranged in age from 4.4 to 7.11 years old. Subjects independently activated an adaptive switch for twenty 30-minute trials. The percent of time subjects received reinforcement was recorded and graphed. The results suggest that severely handicapped students have individualized preferences for various sensory reinforcers. Since sensory reinforcers are durable over time and provide the severely handicapped with a variety of age appropriate low level reinforcers, their use might provide teachers with a more powerful contingency.
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