Developing and maintaining social interaction in profoundly retarded young males

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Psychology
• Developmental Disabilities Research

Background:

• Intellectual disability often presents challenges in social interaction and may be associated with maladaptive behaviors.
• Effective behavioral interventions are crucial for improving social skills in individuals with profound intellectual disability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effectiveness of formal training, stimulus control, and rewarded generalization procedures in enhancing social interaction.
• To assess the impact of increased social interaction on maladaptive behaviors in profoundly intellectually disabled males.

Main Methods:

• A withdrawal design with multiple-baseline features was employed.
• Seven specific behaviors were monitored for five profoundly intellectually disabled males.
• Intervention involved formal training, stimulus control, and rewarded generalization.

Main Results:

• All five participants demonstrated significant increases in social interaction.
• Maladaptive behaviors, including unoccupied and self-stimulatory behavior, were reduced.
• Behavioral changes remained stable with reduced reinforcement schedules and at follow-up.

Conclusions:

• Formal training procedures are effective in increasing social interaction among individuals with profound intellectual disability.
• Behavioral interventions can successfully reduce maladaptive behaviors concurrently with social skill development.
• The observed improvements in social interaction and reduction in maladaptive behaviors are sustainable.