Providing a less restrictive environment for profoundly retarded persons by teaching independent walking skills.

Four adults with profound intellectual disability lived in a state facility. Staff drove them to a nearby school each day. The researchers wanted the adults to walk the route alone. They broke the trip into small steps. They taught the last step first. This is called backward chaining. Each week they added the next step. Sessions happened on real sidewalks with normal traffic.

All four adults learned the full walk. They kept the skill for one to eight weeks without extra practice. Staff no longer had to escort them. Transport time dropped because the adults walked on their own.

Krentz et al. (2016) got the same result with a different tool. They paid tokens for every 50-meter lap. Adults with ID tripled their walking. The skill stuck even after tokens stopped. Both studies show large gains in outdoor walking for the same population. Smith et al. (2010) and Robertson et al. (2013) used walkers plus microswitches instead of chaining. Kids and adults took more steps when a favorite song played each time they pushed the walker. The tactic differs, but the outcome matches: more independent walking. ABelteki et al. (2025) applied the same backward chaining to older adults in long-term care. Surprisingly, leg strength did not improve, but fear of falling dropped and life-space mobility rose. The method still helps, yet the yardstick changes with age.

You can free up staff and give clients real independence. Pick a safe route near your facility. Break it into three to five chunks. Start at the end and chain backward. Use natural cues like crosswalk lights. Track walking time before and after. One month of daily 15-minute sessions can replace escort rides for adults with profound ID.