Research on language intervention in the natural environment was reviewed in relation to the variables of context, analysis of communicative behaviors, and intervention strategies. Intervention strategies described include naturally occurring opportunities, skill cluster training, interrupted behavior chain strategy, and milieu training.…

Discusses community-based assessment and how it was linked with the job-matching process to assist students with severe disabilities in the job development and placement process. (JOW)

One principle of applied research is to design intervention programs targeted to teach useful skills to the participants (Baer, Wolf, & Risley, 1968), while structuring the program to promote generalization of the skills to the natural environment (Stokes & Baer, 1977). Proficiency in community skills (e.g., community navigation and…

The Cooperative Training Program was implemented with 20 students having severe behavior problems, to augment a classroom employability curriculum. Educators and business managers at a local Perkins restaurant worked cooperatively to design a new curriculum and recruitment procedure to benefit both students and the business. A continuous and…

The research brief on community-based instruction for individuals with severe disabilities is based on a manual for practitioners titled "Designing Community-Based Instructional Programming" developed at the University of Utah. The manual stresses the importance of preparing students for community participation by providing instruction in the…

A survey of 116 early intervention service providers for young children with disabilities examined their experiences and perceptions of providing services in natural environments such as the home, day-care center, restaurants, play grounds, etc. A questionnaire, "The Natural Environment Questionnaire," was developed which included questions with…

This book chapter provides a checklist of various considerations related to the development and evaluation of community-based instruction for children with disabilities. The checklist is designed to serve as an organizational framework for persons wishing to make systematic decisions regarding the establishment of a community-based instructional…

Community-referenced activities, which involve combinations of skills used in routine tasks of daily living, are critical for the independent functioning of moderately and severely handicapped persons. The paper examines the characteristics of these activities in order to extract implications for enhancing instruction. The tasks involved in such…

This article describes one school's efforts to teach students with mental retardation functional skills in community settings, while maximizing inclusive experiences. The approach includes a method of identifying functional curricula, collaborative instructional planning and teaching, and community-based instruction for all students. (DB)

Two multiple baseline designs were used to evaluate a two-stage model for training four young adults with visual and cognitive impairments to grocery shop. A task-analytical flow chart of the behavioral skills involved in grocery shopping was used to increase completed skill steps and the number of correct items purchased. (Contains references.)…

Four students (ages seven to nine) with moderate mental retardation were successfully taught to name photographs of foods using a progressive time delay procedure. Presentation of the supermarket grocery department as part of the discriminative stimulus was effective in increasing the percentage of correct responding. Some generalization occurred…

Research supports the importance of teaching skills within the contexts that they will be used (Falvey, 1989; Nietupski, Clancy, Wehrmacher, & Parmer, 1985), yet many school-based programs face resource constraints which limit the number of opportunities where instruction can occur in authentic, community-based settings. When community-based…

The Rural Institute: Center for Excellence in Disability Education, Research, and Service, is one of sixty-four Centers for Excellence in Disability Education across the nation. It is an inter-disciplinary organization that promotes full participation in rural life for individuals with disabilities. The Rural Institute accomplishes this goal by…

This paper describes a community-based substance abuse prevention program utilizing a cognitive-behavioral curriculum to children and adolescents affected by a substance use disorder in a parent or caretaker.

This study surveyed 15 instructors providing community-based instruction to adolescents with moderate and severe handicaps regarding their experiences. Questionnaire results are reported for respondent attitudes concerning importance and appropriateness of community training procedures, community setting employees, and personal attitudes and…