Effects of Inservice Teacher Training on Correct Implementation of Assessment and Instructional Procedures for Teachers of Students With Profound Multiple Disabilities

A multicomponent training package (live training, video modeling, role playing, and feedback) was used to train teachers to conduct assessment and to instruct students with profound multiple disabilities. Phase 1 of the study involved training seven teachers to conduct assessment in three areas: (a) preference assessment (i.e., identification of potential reinforcing items), (b) controlled body movement assessment (i.e., gross and fine motor skills), and (c) access skill assessment (i.e., assessment of basic skills or prerequisite skills necessary for further instruction). Four teacher–student pairs from Phase 1 participated in Phase 2, where teachers were trained to use one of the following instructional strategies: least-to-most prompting, most-to-least prompting, time delay, or graduated guidance. A multiple baseline design across four teacher participants was used to determine if training was effective in increasing the percentage of correctly implemented instructional steps. Data indicated that the training package was effective in increasing teachers’ skills in assessing and instructing students with profound multiple disabilities. In addition, data from student participants showed they were responsive to teachers’ instruction, as the percentage of independently performed student responses increased from baseline to training and posttraining sessions.