Establishing Gestural Yes-No Responding with Individuals with Profound Mental Retardation

Abstract

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a procedure to establish gestural yes-no responding with three individuals with profound mental retardation. The procedure involved prompting, repetition of the correct response, and reinforcement. Data were collected within a multiple baseline design across subjects. The results indicate that the procedure was effective in establishing yes-no responding. Generalization of the individuals' responding across settings was assessed as well. Stimulus generalization, as indicated by probing individuals' performance in their classroom, failed to occur, which necessitated generality training. Follow-up data confirm the effectiveness of the procedure to establish gestural yes-no responding.

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