Teaching coin equivalence to the mentally retarded

Area of Science:

• Special Education
• Developmental Psychology
• Behavioral Analysis

Background:

• Individuals with intellectual disabilities often face challenges in understanding monetary concepts.
• Coin equivalence, the ability to recognize different combinations of coins totaling the same value, is a crucial financial literacy skill.
• Effective instructional strategies are needed to improve financial skills in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and evaluate a training program for teaching coin equivalence to adolescents with intellectual disabilities.
• To assess the effectiveness of a structured, multi-stage intervention in improving coin combination skills.
• To determine if learned coin equivalence skills are maintained over time.

Main Methods:

• A pretest-posttest matched-groups design was used.
• An experimental group received a six-stage coin equivalence training program.
• A multiple baseline across coin-counting responses was incorporated, utilizing a three-component response chain (naming, selecting/counting, depositing).

Main Results:

• Experimental subjects demonstrated significant improvements in coin equivalence performance.
• The trained coin equivalence skills were maintained during follow-up assessments.
• Control subjects who did not receive training showed no significant improvements.

Conclusions:

• The developed training program is effective in teaching coin equivalence to adolescents with intellectual disabilities.
• The intervention promotes durable skill acquisition and maintenance.
• This study highlights the importance of targeted financial literacy programs for individuals with intellectual disabilities.