Teaching Basic Photography Skills to a Severely Handicapped Young Adult Using Simulated Materials

Abstract

Leisure skills programming for individuals with severe handicapping conditions has recently emerged as a prominent curricular domain. The present investigation examined acquisition, maintenance, and generalization aspects of teaching basic photography skills to a 20-year-old severely mentally retarded male with Down's syndrome. Training occurred in a public school setting and at the learner's place of residence. Training procedures combined simulation, a least-to-most intrusive prompting hierarchy, basic reinforcement strategies, and a method of assisting the learner make the connection between simulated and real materials. Within a multiple-probe design across four phases, the learner acquired and maintained the skills of loading film in a camera, using a flash attachment, deciding what to photograph, and taking a photograph. Additionally, generalization effects from simulated to real materials showed increasing covariation as the program progressed. Implications of this study focus on the viability of photography as a potential hobby for severely handicapped individuals and on questions related to simulation and generalization effects.