The Importance of Choice-Making Skills for Students with Severe Disabilities

Making choices is an essential part of functioning independently as an adult in society. Activities specifically directed toward helping students learn to make choices, however, are typically neglected in educational programs for students with severe disabilities. This paper presents a rationale for the inclusion of choice-making as an important skill area for persons with severe disabilities. Behavioral approaches that present useful means of conceptualizing choice-making in the school life of severely disabled students are identified. Procedures are suggested for teaching choice-making skills, for integrating opportunities for exercising those skills throughout the course of the student's school life, and for fostering choice-making skills through the use of logical consequences.