Use of self-operated auditory prompts by workers with moderate mental retardation to transition independently through vocational tasks

The use of single- and multiple-word self-operated auditory prompting systems by five school-age workers with moderate mental retardation to independently transition between an ordered chain of tasks was examined in two vocational settings. The effectiveness of single- and multiple-word self-operated auditory prompts was assessed using an alternating treatment design within a multiple probe across settings. Analysis of the data revealed a significant effect on the number of independent task changes made by workers when using the single- or multiple-word auditory prompting system. When prompting systems were compared with one another, no significant differences were found in the number of independent task changes made by workers. Self-operated auditory prompts served as the stimulus control for desired behavior, they were effective for teaching workers with moderate mental retardation to manage their own task change behavior, and their use generalized across settings without additional training.