Pre-session assessment of preferences for students with profound multiple disabilities

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a brief 2 min pre-session stimulu s preference assessment in predicting the levels of responding of four stud ents with profound multiple disabilities during a 5-minute experimental ses sion immediately following the assessment. During the pre-session assessmen t, students were presented with four stimuli selected from a pool of stimul i identified as either preferred (2 stimuli) or neutral (2 stimuli)from a p revious preference assessment. The duration of the student's target behavio r (smiling or laughing) was recorded. The stimulus with the longest duratio n was considered "preferred" and the stimulus with the shortest duration wa s considered "neutral" An alternating treatments design (ATD) was then used to evaluate the prediction of student responding based on the pre-session assessment immediately prior to an experimental session. Either the preferr ed, neutral, or both stimuli were presented within the context of a social interaction and the duration of the student's target behavior (smiling or l aughing) was recorded. Teacher behavior, time of day, position of the child , materials, and activities, were controlled. Results indicate that the 2 m in pre-session assessment had predictive value, that is, there were higher levels of student responding during the condition when the preferred stimul us was wed than when the neutral stimulus was used across all four students .