Described is the Modified Language Acquisition Program (MLAP) which used trainable mentally retarded trainers to teach basic language skills to severely and profoundly retarded students in a state hospital. Provided are a flow chart and procedural description to guide the use of the MLAP with attendant-supervised retarded trainers and a second flow chart and description for use when the attendant, aide, or teacher is using the MLAP to train students directly. The final section covers a part by part description of the MLAP for the following phases: attending, motor imitation, vocal imitation, basic receptive phase (understanding single words that label), receptive expansion phase (understanding combinations of words that label), basic expressive phase (using single words to label), and expressive expansion phase (using words to label, to ask, to tell whose, and to tell where). Appended are such items as a list of definitions of behavioral terms, a list of equipment needed in MLAP, the picture training cards for the retarded trainer, and signs for words in the MLAP. (DB)