Parity is one source of automatic reinforcement that increases the probability of verbal behavior that conforms to models provided by the verbal community. Parity as a conditioned reinforcer could explain the acquisition of grammar in the absence of direct, explicit reinforcement. This possibility has been explored in previous research on…

A skill essential for successful inclusion in general education settings is the ability to learn by observing others. Research, however, has documented children with autism display significant deficits in the fundamental skills necessary for observational learning. This article outlines the skills essential for observational learning from an…

Play is a complex phenomenon that occurs naturally for most children; they move through the various stages of play development and are able to add complexity, imagination, and creativity to their thought processes and actions. However, for many children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), the various stages of play never truly develop, or occur…

Results indicate that subjects first observing apparatus operation by electromechanical means performed task better than those who had not, and that there is no significant difference between performance of subjects who had observed demonstration by electromechanical device and those who had observed a human model. Applicability of findings…

Cooperative education is a learning strategy that fits very well with basic laws of learning. In fact, several basic important learning processes are far better adapted to the cooperative education strategy than to methods that lean entirely on classroom instruction. For instance, cooperative education affords more opportunities for reinforcement,…