Developing Problem-Solving Skills to Enhance Task Persistence of Handicapped Preschool Children

Abstract

This manuscript reports on a preliminary study to examine the effect of teaching problem-solving skills on the task persistence of handicapped preschool children. Ten mildly handicapped children completed a series of lessons in which they were taught to use problem-solving strategies to complete fine motor tasks. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected to determine the effectiveness of these procedures. These data indicated that the intervention had a positive impact on the task persistence of some children and that some children become more systematic in their approach to solving tasks. The implica-, tion of these results for structuring tasks for children is discussed.

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