Teaching severely handicapped adolescents to follow instructions conveyed by means of three-dimensional stimulus configurations

The present study investigated the feasibility of teaching three low-functioning (one sighted and two blind) adolescents a large repertoire of instruction-following responses. Three-dimensional cues, that is, dolls and small copies of objects, were used to convey the instructions. Training was structured in a stepwise fashion. Initially, the subjects were taught to take full-size objects in response to the experimenter presenting small copies of such objects. Then, they were trained to assume body positions represented through dolls. Subsequently, they were trained to assume body positions in relation with objects (represented through dolls and small copies of objects). Finally, they were trained to perform activities each of which was represented through two dolls in relation with small copies of objects. All subjects learned successfully. Generalization responding was observed at each stage of the program.