This study compared 2 units of analysis for assessing acquisition mastery during sight word instruction for 3 participants. The unit of analysis refers to the specific performances that criteria are applied to, either sets of stimuli or individual operants. In the Set Analysis condition, we applied the acquisition-performance criterion to the…

We compared the effects of different "mastery" criteria and doses on the acquisition and maintenance of sight words for 4 second graders with and without disabilities. First, we replicated Set Analysis and Operant Analysis conditions where participants were taught sight words in 20-trial (4 operants, 5 opportunities) sessions.…

We evaluated a procedure for teaching two children, one typically developing and one with autism, a higher-order generalized operant response class of unscrambling sight words. The procedures were efficacious in teaching the participants to unscramble words appearing in isolation and in the context of a sentence, with 98% of the presented…

Sight-word instruction can be a useful supplement to phonics-based methods under some circumstances. Nonetheless, few studies have evaluated the conditions under which pictures may be used successfully to teach sight-word reading. In this study, we extended prior research by examining two potential strategies for reducing the effects of…

Prior research shows that learners have idiosyncratic responses to error-correction procedures during instruction. Thus, assessments that identify error-correction strategies to include in instruction can aid practitioners in selecting individualized, efficacious, and efficient interventions. The current investigation conducted an assessment to…

We evaluated the effects of monitoring responses on the acquisition of sight words with 3 children with autism. In the training condition, we taught participants a vocal imitation and matching response related to a peer's reading response. In another condition, participants were exposed only to a peer's reading responses. Participants read the…

Activity schedules are often used to facilitate task engagement and transition for children with autism. This study evaluated whether conditional discrimination training would serve to transfer the control from activity-schedule pictures to printed words (i.e., derived textual control). Two preschoolers with autism were taught to select pictures…

This study compared the copy, cover, and compare method to a picture-word matching method for teaching sight word recognition. Participants were 5 kindergarten students with less than preprimer sight word vocabularies who were enrolled in a public school in the Pacific Northwest. A multielement design was used to evaluate the effects of the two…

Two autistic children (5 and 13 years old) acquired functional sight-word reading skills in a play activity. Ss gained access to preferred toys by selecting toy labels in tasks requiring increasingly complex visual discriminations. Ss showed comprehension on probes requiring reading skills to locate toys stored in labeled boxes. (Author/CL)

A great deal is known about the effects of positive reinforcement on response acquisition; by contrast, much less research has been conducted on contingencies applied to errors. We examined the effects of response repetition as an error-correction procedure on the sight-word reading performance of 11 adults with developmental disabilities. Study 1…

This study compared immediate (after each error) and delayed (at the end of each session) error correction during sight-word instruction with 4 students (ages 7-9) with developmental disabilities. Immediate error correction was superior on each of four dependent variables. (Author/DB)

This study compared the effects of trial repetition (1 response within 5 trials per word) versus response repetition (5 response repetitions within 1 trial per word) on sight-word acquisition for 3 elementary students, ages 9 and 12, with learning disabilities in reading. Trial repetition resulted in more words mastered. (Author/SW)

Response practice variables for learning spelling and sight vocabulary were studied in 4 experiments involving a total of 18 rehabilitation clients and adolescents with developmental disabilities or behavior disorders. The experiments specifically examined the "cover write" method, written versus oral practice, less versus more response practice,…

Effects of 2 procedures (either whole word or phonetic-prompt) for error correction were compared during drills in sight word recognition of 5 students (ages 8 and 9) with developmental disabilities. Results from instruction, same-day tests, and next-day tests indicated that more words were learned in the whole word condition. (Author/DB)

Community-referenced sight words and phrases were taught to six adolescents with mild or moderate mental retardation, using three instructional methods in two locations. Results showed rapid acquisition of the sight words in all three training conditions and showed generalization from the flash card and videotape conditions to the community sites.…