TEACHING REQUESTS FOR FOOD AND DRINK TO CHILDREN WITH MULTIPLE DISABILITIES IN A GRAPHIC COMMUNICATION MODE

Graphic communication modes are often considered for children with mul tiple disabilities as an alternative to speech or gestures. However, t here have been few empirical studies demonstrating effective procedure s for teaching graphic mode requests to young children with multiple d isabilities. In the present study, two children with multiple disabili ties were taught to request preferred food and drink items by pointing to corresponding line drawings. Time-delay, prompting, reinforcement, and error correction procedures were implemented in a multiple-probe design to establish discriminated and generalized requests for preferr ed foods and beverages during morning snack time. The procedures were effective in teaching generalized and discriminated use of the food an d drink symbols Although effective in teaching children to request off ered items the procedures used in the present study need further devel opment to ensure requests are controlled by the more natural condition s of hunger and thirst.