Language Training for the Severely Retarded: Five Years of Behavior Analysis Research

Twenty-three behavior analysis studies which have appeared since 1968 are reviewed and analyzed in terms of (a) target behaviors investigated, (b) research methodologies employed, and (c) implications for classroom or clinical practice and for future research. A majority of the studies cited were found to deal exclusively with expressive language, and many of these investigated the generative property of the language under study. All of the studies involved the use of tangible reinforcers, and most used institutionalized subjects more than 8 years old. Implications are drawn which suggest the need for (a) an increased emphasis on antecedent conditions, (b) consideration of a broad range of reinforcement contingencies, (c) specific attention to variables which effect maintenance and generalization, and (d) investigation of younger subjects in noninstitutional settings.