Effects of a Peer-Mediated Literacy Based Behavioral Intervention on the Acquisition and Maintenance of Daily Living Skills in Adolescents with Autism

Abstract

Many adolescents with disabilities do not independently perform the daily living skills needed to be successful in typical community environments. Literacy Based Behavioral Interventions have been effective in promoting skill acquisition and maintenance in some learners, but have yet to be implemented to teach basic self-care skills. Also, LBBIs to date have only been implemented by teachers, job coaches, or other adult professionals. In this study, peer partners were taught to deliver an LBBI story involving making a sandwich to four adolescents with autism. Results showed that the students' accuracy with the task increased dramatically after reviewing their stories about sandwich-making with the peers. These skills maintained after the peers stopped reviewing the LBBI stories with them. This study extends previous research on LBBIs by incorporating the stories into efforts to teach new skills, and by enlisting peers into the intervention.