The generalized effects of milieu language intervention procedures on the acquisition and use of common nouns and action verbs was investigated using a multiple baseline design across subjects. The subjects were 5 young children with mild to borderline levels of mental retardation in the early one-word stage of productive language acquisition. After a baseline period, the subjects received three or four small group training sessions weekly. Milieu instruction was embedded in ongoing conversation between the trainer and the target child about the play activity at hand. Generalization was measured along a variety of dimensions. Results indicated that milieu training had a clear facilitative effect on the acquisition and generalized use of common nouns and verbs by 4 of the 5 subjects.
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