Elementary school staff requested and were provided with strategies for helping students and a resource guide to services for students living with substance-abusing adults.

Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of a training program implemented in a community setting for teaching receptive language skills to profoundly mentally retarded persons in a department store setting. Instruction was effective and store employees reacted favorably to the program. (Author/DB)

Investigated whether a community based fitness program could help improve the fitness levels of adults with developmental disabilities (predominantly mental retardation) and promote fitness and exercise. Pretest-posttest data indicated that personalized social support increased participant compliance and motivation, adaptations in routines helped…

This study developed and evaluated the utility of a Windows CE-based multimedia palmtop computer program for use in supporting young adults with mental retardation to more independently complete community-based vocational skills. Use of the Visual Assistant prototype resulted in improved task accuracy and decreased use of external prompts from a…

This article comments on a study that found teachers believed that both inclusive education and community-based instruction were effective in preparing students with disabilities for adulthood. It argues that secondary students should be members of age-appropriate high school classes and receive educational and community-based services during…

The emergence of community-referenced instruction as a general and special education phenomenon and as a tool for learning in the inclusive classroom is examined in this article. In addition, three specific types of instruction that can be implemented beyond school walls are presented: work experiences, research teams, and service learning.…

This manual presents guidelines for teaching students with disabilities necessary skills for safe and independent travel on public buses. Six guidelines for teachers include: (1) participate in bus training; (2) use wise and intelligent judgment; (3) utilize the bus checklist; (4) know and teach bus rules; (5) know bus routes; and (6) know bus…

This paper describes the development and establishment of an inclusive education program on a junior high school campus. Although this is the documentation of secondary programming, with an emphasis on severe disabilities, these "phases" can be generalized to other program areas and levels of education. During phase I, a functional,…

Comparison of the efficacy of integrating 41 elementary school students with moderate mental retardation into either regular classes, a special class with a community-based program, or a special class with a traditional developmental program found that, after 2 years, no single program was superior to the other 2. (Author/DB)

This study used a constant time-delay procedure to teach three secondary students with moderate mental disabilities the community skills of mailing a letter, cashing a check, and crossing a street. Instruction involved community-based instruction plus either classroom simulation, videotape modeling, or both. The most efficient methodology was the…

Twenty individuals with mild retardation and 20 individuals with moderate retardation participated in simulated instruction and/or community training of four functional living tasks. Participants with mild retardation performed better on simulated tasks and in the community settings, however, in many situations, community training was sufficiently…

Individuals (n=178) in community sites involved with persons having severe disabilities were surveyed concerning attitudes toward the social acceptability of commonly used training techniques, including antecedent, consequence, and data collection techniques. Groups of respondents differentially rated the social acceptability of the techniques.…

This article discusses the importance of competence in functional skills for developing the social skills, friendships, and perceived quality of life in students with severe disabilities. The need to include functional skills instruction in general education settings is emphasized and methods of providing community based instruction are provided.…

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness and efficiency of static picture prompts and video modeling as classroom simulation strategies in combination with in vivo community instruction. Students with moderate intellectual disabilities were instructed in the tasks of withdrawing money from an ATM and purchasing items using a…

Reviews the literature on instruction emphasizing social awareness as opposed to specific social skills for adolescents with mental retardation. Social competence is defined and discussed in terms of appropriate social behavior in work environments. Instructional approaches such as cognitive process approaches and community-based instructional…