Self-Monitoring and Self-Managed Reinforcement Procedures for Improving Work Productivity of Developmentally Disabled Workers

This article reviews research that examined self-monitoring and/or self-managed reinforcement procedures for improving and maintaining work productivity of developmentally disabled workers. Seventeen articles were encountered that examined self-monitoring and/ or self-administration of reinforcers for productivity. In total, 107 developmentally disabled persons experienced self-management procedures, with diagnoses varying from profoundly to mildly retarded. In most of the studies, work productivity improved during intervention conditions. However, in almost all cases, procedural limitations prevent us from confidently attributing improvements in productivity to the self-management components of the interventions. Moreover, because of practical limitations, we cannot yet offer self-management procedures as a viable strategy to maintain work rates of developmentally disabled workers at acceptable levels throughout typical working days. Additional research is needed that goes beyond the procedural and practical limitations of previous studies.