Training Team Members to Respond to the Communicative Behaviors of Children with Profound Handicaps

Abstract

This study evaluated a training sequence designed to increase an interdisciplinary school team's response sensitivity and consistency toward the perceived communication of children with profound mental handicaps. Analysis of data revealed response sensitivity training to be effective. That is, after participating in the training sequence, all subjects recognized more child behaviors as communicative. In contrast to response sensitivity findings, no significant training effects were noted for response consistency. More specifically, subjects' consistent recognition of child behaviors (i.e., attribution of identical behavioral states or communicative functions) did not improve across treatment sessions.