USING A PROBLEM-SOLVING STRATEGY TO TEACH ADAPTABILITY SKILLS TO INDIVIDUALS WITH MENTAL-RETARDATION

A problem-solving strategy was used to teach adaptability skills to th ree individuals with mental retardation. These skills were derived fro m the adaptability instructional model developed by Mithaug, Martin, a nd Agran (1987). The skills were divided into three areas: social, wor k, and personal. The problem-solving strategy was taught in two traini ng phases. The first training phase involved the use of a cue card tha t listed these components: When will the problem be solved?; Who would you talk to?; Where would you talk to (name)?; and What would you say ? The second phase involved the withdrawal of the cue card. The effect s of training were evaluated using a multiple baseline design across t he three participants. Results indicated that all participants used th e targeted problem-solving strategy when responding to problem situati ons across the three job success skill areas. In addition, generalizat ion assessments were conducted before, during, and up to 8 weeks after training. In these assessments, situations were presented that were e ither similar or dissimilar to situations presented in training. Resul ts of the generalization assessments indicated that the participants' newly acquired problem-solving skills generalized to similar and dissi milar situations. Further, problem-solving skills maintained above bas eline levels for 8 weeks after the withdrawal of all training componen ts.