Enhancing leisure skills in severely retarded adolescents through a self-instructional treatment package

The development of social-leisure skills among higher functioning mentally retarded persons has received considerable attention in recent years. There is relatively little research, however, examining procedures for increasing social-leisure skills with severely retarded individuals. Where such skills have been taught to severely mentally retarded persons, they have been quite simple. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a treatment package which included self-instructional training for increasing a complex social-leisure skill, game playing, in severely retarded adolescents. A design across three games and situations was used to assess the direct and generalized effects of the treatment package with two boys while two other boys served as controls. Both boys learned to perform and verbalize individually the game steps. Although minimal generalization to dyad- and free-play situations initially occurred, with minimal prompts and specific dyad training the boys were able to play the three games accurately in both situations. Follow-up assessments indicated that with occasional reviews, the clients were able to maintain their game skills. Data also suggested increases in the boys' verbal interactions. The implications of the results for future social-leisure skill programming with the severely retarded are discussed.