Acquisition of Leisure Skills by A Severely Handicapped Adolescent: A Data Based Instructional Program

The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the acquisition of leisure and leisure related skills by a nonverbal severely handicapped student in a community recreation facility. The typical skills required to completely, functionally, and age-appropriately use a bowling facility were generated through an ecological inventory. Instructional sequences, material and procedural modifications, and a systematic behavioral error correction procedure were implemented to teach bowling, purchasing a drink, and use of a vending machine. Within a multiple baseline time series design, results indicated the student's ability to acquire the combined skills for complete use of a bowling center in just six weeks. Generalization data demonstrated the student's successful transfer of acquired leisure skills to other similar environments and materials.