A Functional Analysis of the Acquisition and Maintenance of Janitorial Skills in a Competitive Work Setting

There is a need for empirically based studies to support public school on-the-job training programs for students with severe disabilities. This study examined the use of supported employment via the supported jobs model to provide competitive work experience for a 19-year-old student with severe disabilities. The job trained involved a complex set of janitorial skills, including emptying trash cans, detail cleaning, and daily cleaning. Training consisted of a combination of total task presentation and an individualized prompting hierarchy. A multiple baseline across behaviors design was employed across the three sets of behaviors. Results demonstrated the acquisition and maintenance of all skills at 100% accuracy. The use of supported employment as a means of providing competitive work experience for students with severe disabilities and the need for further research on effective community-based vocational training strategies are discussed.