A PROBLEM-SOLVING APPROACH TO SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING IN EMPLOYMENT SETTINGS WITH MENTALLY RETARDED YOUTH

The present study examined two approaches to teaching social behaviors to 3 developmentally disabled youths in work contexts. In one approach, a problem‐solving procedure was learned and transferred to different materials. Conversational probes monitored interactions between disabled employees and their co‐workers and customers. A multiple baseline design demonstrated that the training produced generalization and maintenance of the targeted social behaviors to the work settings. A second approach based on a role‐playing intervention produced no substantial generalization in the work setting. A social validation questionnaire administered to co‐workers supported the efficacy of the problem‐solving training procedure. The efficacy of social problem‐solving training was discussed in terms of sufficient exemplars, common stimuli, and self‐mediations.