PROCEDURES FOR PROMOTING INDEPENDENT ACTIVITY IN PEOPLE WITH SEVERE AND PROFOUND LEARNING-DISABILITY - A BRIEF REVIEW

Treatment and care of people with severe and profound learning disabil ity have received a great deal of attention during the last two decade s. One issue attracting particular research interest has been the defi nition of procedures for promoting independent activity engagement (i. e. activity engagement independent of staff supervision). The present paper reviews six procedures: (1) task/contingencies fading; (2) autom atic prompting; (3) use of reactive objects and electrical switches; ( 4) pictorial, tactile or auditory cues handled by the subjects; (5) co mputer-aided programmes presenting instructions, reinforcement and cor rective feedback; and (6) employment of peer caregivers.