Use of self-operated auditory prompts to decrease aberrant behaviors in students with moderate mental retardation

We examined the effectiveness of self-operated auditory prompts when used t o decrease the off-task and aberrant behaviors of two students with moderat e mental retardation. Its purpose was to determine if self-operated auditor y prompts could be effectively used by these individuals to decrease their off-task and aberrant behaviors lit work settings and during transitional t imes between settings. A multiple-probe across settings design with a rever sal and replication was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the self-oper ated auditory prompting system on aberrant student behaviors in school and community settings. Previous findings were replicated in this study that de monstrate that stimulus control can be achieved through the use of self-ope rated auditory prompts, and demonstrates that these prompts can serve to oc casion a decrease in aberrant behaviors when used by individuals with moder ate mental retardation in school and community settings. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd.