The Task Demonstration Model: a concurrent model for teaching groups of students with severe disabilities

Area of Science:

• Special Education
• Developmental Psychology
• Instructional Design

Background:

• Students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities often require specialized instructional strategies.
• Traditional prompting methods may be less efficient for this population.
• Evaluating alternative instructional models is crucial for improving learning outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of the Task Demonstration Model (TDM) against the Standard Prompting Hierarchy (SPH).
• To assess the impact of these instructional models on teacher and student variables.
• To determine optimal instructional strategies for students with intellectual disabilities.

Main Methods:

• A comparative study design was employed, contrasting TDM with SPH and baseline conditions.
• Three teachers and their respective student groups participated in the study.
• Data were collected on teacher behaviors (demands, praise, prompts) and student outcomes (task engagement, percent correct, rate correct).

Main Results:

• Prompting frequency was significantly lower (12 times less) in TDM compared to SPH.
• Student task engagement was equivalent across both TDM and SPH.
• TDM showed a 10% higher percentage of correct responses and a doubled rate of correct responses compared to SPH.

Conclusions:

• The Task Demonstration Model (TDM) offers a more efficient instructional approach for students with moderate to severe intellectual disabilities.
• Reduced prompting in TDM may contribute to increased learning rates and accuracy.
• TDM presents a promising alternative to the Standard Prompting Hierarchy (SPH) for enhancing educational outcomes.