Teaching mentally retarded adults to time-manage in a vocational setting.
Picture cues plus tokens let adults with ID manage break times even if they cannot read a clock.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers worked with three adults who had intellectual disabilities and jobs in a sheltered workshop. None could read a clock. The team taught them to start and end breaks on time using picture cards, spoken reminders, and tokens. They used an ABAB design: baseline, teach, back to baseline, teach again.
The cue package had four parts. First, a staff member gave a one-minute warning. Next, the adult picked up a card that showed a coffee cup or lunch box. Then the adult handed the card to the supervisor. Last, the supervisor gave praise and a token for on-time returns.
What they found
All three adults learned to take and end breaks within the allowed minutes. When the cues were removed, the skill dropped. When cues came back, the skill returned. Two adults kept the skill after everything was faded. One needed a single picture card to stay on track.
The study showed that adults who cannot tell time can still manage time if you give the right cues and rewards.
How this fits with other research
Meuret et al. (2001) reviewed dozens of studies and found picture cues work for people with severe and profound disabilities. The 1980 paper is one of the examples they cite. Together, the studies say: pick the cue type the client can see or hear best.
Lucki et al. (1983) used a similar self-management package to cut disruptive talk in the same kind of workshop. Both studies show that adults with ID can monitor and reward their own behavior when the steps are simple and clear.
Lancioni et al. (2011) swapped picture cards for an automatic MP3 that spoke each kitchen step. Their adults finished drink-making faster than when they had to ask for each cue. The 1980 study used hand-delivered cards; the 2011 study shows voice tech can do the delivery for you.
Why it matters
You do not need to wait for clock-reading or tech skills. A laminated picture and a token can give your client on-time breaks today. Try the ABAB check: run cues for a week, remove for a day, then bring them back. If performance jumps each time the cues return, you have proof the cues work and you can fade with confidence.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Three retarded adults who had minimal ability to tell time were trained to "time-manage." Each was given a card with clock face representations on which the hands of the clock were drawn, representing each trainee's assigned lunch and break times. Instruction was given before work to perform each of the required behaviors when the "real" clock matched the clock faces. Praise was given following correct responses, and reprimands, instruction, and, in some instances, delay or omission of the scheduled activity followed incorrect responses. Pre-instruction and instructional feedback were then sequentially withdrawn. Results indicated that the package consisting of pre-instruction, instructional feedback, and picture cues was effective in producing independent time management responding. When the first two components were withdrawn, two trainees maintained high levels of correct responding. Correct responding decreased for one trainee when pre-instruction was withdrawn. Reintroduction and subsequent withdrawal of the components resulted in maintenance by this trainee. Little improvement in time-telling ability resulted.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1980 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1980.13-119