To investigate the crossmodal transfer effects of verbal information to the performance of manual tasks, this study compared the effectiveness of two strategies—manual guidance only and manual guidance plus verbal prompts—with students whose multiple disabilities included total blindness and severe mental retardation. Within the framework of an alternating treatments design, the two strategies were differentially applied to two tasks. The results suggest that prompting methods that require shifting verbal information to the performance of a manual task may interfere with the learning of students with such multiple disabilities.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BarlowD.H., & HayesS.C. (1979). Alternating treatments design: One strategy for comparing effects of two treatments in single subject.Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 12, 199–210.
2.
BlackP.D. (1982). Visual disorders associated with cerebral palsy.British Journal of Ophthalmology, 66, 46–52.
3.
BrinkerR.P. (1985). Curricula without recipes: A challenge to teachers and a promise to severely mentally retarded students. In BrickerD., & FillerJ. (Eds.), Severe mental retardation: From theory to practice (pp. 210–220). Reston, VA: Council for Exceptional Children.
4.
CatsB.P., & TanK.E. (1989). Prematures with and without regressed retinopathy of prematurity: Comparison of long term (6–10 years) ophthalmological morbidity. Paper presented at the Biennial Meeting of the Society for Research in Child Development, Kansas City, MO.
5.
FeldmanH., ScherM., & KempS. (1990). Neurodevelopmental outcome of children with evidence of periventricular leukomalacia on late magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).Pediatric Neurology, 6, 296–302.
6.
GardnerL., MorseA.R., TullochD., & TriefE. (1986). Visual impairment among children from birth to age 5.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 79, 385–391.
7.
GatesC. (1985). Survey of multiply handicapped visually impaired children in the Rocky Mountain/Great Plains region.Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 79, 385–391.
8.
GibsonE.J. (1969). Principles of perceptual learning and development.New York: Appleton-Century-Crofts.
9.
JonesB. (1975). Spatial perception in the blind.British Journal of Psychology, 66, 461–472.
10.
KazdinA.E. (1982). Single-case research designs: Methods for clinical and applied settings.New York: Oxford University Press.
11.
LuceyJ., & DangmanB. (1984). A re-examination of the role of oxygen in retrolental fibroplasia.Pediatrics, 73, 82–96.
12.
MaxfieldK.E., & BuchholzS. (1957). A social maturity scale for blind preschool children: A guide to its use.New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
13.
RabinowiczI.M. (1974). Visual function in children with hydrocephalus.Transactions of the Ophthalmology Society of the United Kingdom, 94, 353–366.
14.
SinhaS.K., D'SouzaS.W., RivlinE., & ChisnickM.L. (1990). Ischemic brain lesions diagnosed at birth in preterm infants: Clinical events and developmental outcomes.Archives of Disease in Childhood, 65, 1017–1020.
15.
SnellM. (1993). Instruction of students with severe disabilities (4th ed.). New York: Merrill.
16.
UlmanJ., & Sulzer-AzaroffB. (1977). Multielement baseline design in educational research. In RampE., & SembG. (Eds.), Behavior analysis: Areas of research and application (pp. 379–391). Engelwood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
17.
Van Hof-Van DuinJ., & MohnG. (1983). Optokinetic and spontaneous nystagmus in children with neurological disorders.Behavioral Brain Research, 10, 163–175.
18.
WarrenD.H. (1985). Blindness and early childhood development.New York: American Foundation for the Blind.
19.
WolkeD. (1986). Prediction of neurodevelopmental sequelae in very low birthweight infants. Paper presented at the World Congress on Infant Psychology and Allied Disciplines, Stockholm, Sweden.
20.
ZarembaJ.S. (1968). Tuberous sclerosis: A clinical and genetic investigation.Journal of Mental Deficiency Research, 12, 63–80.
