Equivalence‐based instruction to establish a textual activity schedule in an adult with Down syndrome

Ortega et al. (2018) worked with one adult who has Down syndrome. The team wanted him to follow a written activity schedule instead of picture cards.

They first taught him to match pictures to their printed names. Next they tested if he could now read the words and do the task steps without the pictures.

After the matching lessons, the man could use the text schedule alone. He no longer needed the picture cues.

The study showed equivalence-based instruction can create new reading-for-action skills without teaching every step directly.

Blair et al. (2019) used the same equivalence method to teach graph reading to college students. Both studies show the method works across very different skills.

Rosenthal et al. (1980) taught coin names to adults with intellectual disability. Their early work proved equivalence training is safe and fast for this population, paving the way for Ortega’s schedule transfer.

Lewis et al. (2025) also moved learners from pictures to text, but they used prompting inside storybooks with typical children. The two papers agree picture-to-text transfer is doable; they differ on whether you need extra prompts or pure equivalence.

If you serve adults with Down syndrome, you can replace bulky picture schedules with discreet text cards after short matching lessons. Start with picture-word matching, then probe text-only performance. You may save hours of direct text training and give the learner a more age-appropriate tool.