Teaching Problem Explanations Using Instructive Feedback.

Area of Science:

• Behavior Analysis
• Special Education
• Developmental Psychology

Background:

• Instructive feedback (IF) is an instructional procedure involving supplementary information during skill acquisition.
• Previous research indicates IF aids acquisition of non-targeted skills (secondary targets) in individuals with intellectual disabilities.
• Limited research exists on IF's efficacy for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), particularly concerning longer verbal responses.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of IF for participants with ASD.
• To extend IF research by including longer verbal responses as secondary targets.
• To assess the maintenance of both primary and secondary targets following IF intervention.

Main Methods:

• Three participants with ASD received IF intervention.
• Secondary targets included longer verbal responses, differing from previous discrete response measures.
• Intervention involved presenting IF during the consequence phase of instruction for primary targets.

Main Results:

• IF facilitated the acquisition of at least some secondary targets without explicit instruction for all participants.
• Two participants required additional instruction before IF led to secondary target acquisition.
• All participants demonstrated maintenance of gains for both primary and secondary targets post-intervention.

Conclusions:

• Instructive feedback shows promise for teaching secondary targets, including longer verbalizations, to individuals with ASD.
• The efficacy of IF may vary, with some individuals benefiting from initial explicit instruction.
• IF promotes skill maintenance for both directly and indirectly taught skills in participants with ASD.