Improving the Functional Utility and Effectiveness of Classroom Services for Students with Profound Multiple Handicaps

A difficult task facing special educators is the provision of appropriate educational services to students who have profound mental and physical handicaps. We evaluated a means of improving classroom services for this student population by (a) increasing their involvement in more functional educational tasks than those traditionally provided and (b) increasing their overall attending-to-task (on-task behavior). A multicomponent staff supervision and classroom management program was implemented with staff in three classrooms and was accompanied by large increases in functional task involvement in each classroom. The increases maintained over a 6-month period. The program was also accompanied by smaller, but consistent, increases in student on-task performances. The increased on-task behavior improved the classroom performances to a level above that observed in four control classrooms serving students with profound handicaps. A staff survey indicated a high degree of acceptance of the intervention strategy employed as well as the emphasis on functional educational tasks. Results are discussed in terms of continued development of more appropriate and effective educational services for individuals who have profound handicaps.