Preference Variability and the Instruction of Choice Making with Students with Severe Intellectual Disabilities

Current literature provides rationale for including choice opportunities in daily activities of individuals with severe intellectual disabilities. This literature, however, contains limited studies that validate suggested strategies for teaching choice-making skills to this population. Furthermore, published studies include participants who demonstrate initiation and approach behavior that are not exhibited by all individuals with severe intellectual disabilities. This study sought to implement a strategy of choice instruction with individuals with severe intellectual disabilities who do not demonstrate such behaviors, or who consistently demonstrate impulsive behaviors that result in the pursuit and subsequent rejection of many stimuli. A sequence of choice levels was implemented using constant time delay to teach choice making to individuals with severe intellectual disabilities who had not previously demonstrated this ability. The purpose was to determine if the specific sequence of choice levels and constant time delay were effective for teaching choice making to students with severe intellectual disabilities. A multiple probe design across participants with embedded changing conditions was used, with results indicating that both the specific sequence of choice levels and constant time delay were effective in teaching students with severe intellectual disabilities to make choices. It was also documented that preferences of participants varied on a weekly basis, indicating the need for ongoing preference assessments in applied settings.