Effective Instruction for Adults who have Intellectual Disabilities: What Really Happens?

The aim of the present study was to describe the strategies used by four staff when teaching people who have intellectual disabilities in residential and vocational facilities, and to compare their teaching methods with the strategies taught in staff training courses. Data was collected during three months of participant observation, and showed that effective instruction occurred through a range of strategies which emphasised teaching as an interactive process based on a close knowledge of the client. While the participating staff used aspects of behavioural instruction techniques, they did not write programs or record, collect or graph data, even though their training courses suggested they should do so, indicating a discrepancy between usual practices and staff training.