Teaching skills to use a computer mouse in preschoolers with developmental disabilities: shaping moving a mouse and...

We taught seven preschoolers with developmental disabilities to point-and-click with a computer mouse. The computer-based training program consisted of three parts, based on a task analysis of the behavioral prerequisites to point-and-click. Training 1 was designed to shape moving the mouse. Training 2 was designed to build eye-hand coordination by teaching the children to move the on-screen cursor onto specific items on the screen. Training 3 was designed to teach pressing and releasing the mouse button. An instructor provided prompts and blocking to facilitate skill acquisition. A multiple baseline design across participants was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the training program. The results showed that all participants learned to point-and-click after exposure to the training program.