Assessing the effectiveness and measuring the complexity of two conversational instructional procedures in supported employment contexts

Abstract

We examine the effectiveness of conversational skills instruction in increasing the integration of workers with severe disabilities in supported employment settings. Two types of instruction were compared, conversation script instruction and question asking instruction. Results demonstrate that both of the instructional strategies increased the social interactions of the workers with severe disabilities. Integration data were collected using direct observation, social validation, and global measures. Generalization was assessed to other persons, settings, and situations.