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Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis logoLink to Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis
. 1988 Winter;21(4):331–343. doi: 10.1901/jaba.1988.21-331

Training students with profound or multiple handicaps to make requests via microswitches.

D P Wacker 1, B Wiggins 1, M Fowler 1, W K Berg 1
PMCID: PMC1286133  PMID: 2976066

Abstract

In a series of three experiments, we evaluated the use of microswitches as a means for students with profound, multiple handicaps to demonstrate preferences between toys and to make requests for specific activities. In Experiment 1, 5 students learned to demonstrate toy preferences by using microswitches to activate battery-operated toys. Experiment 2 was conducted to evaluate the students' preferences for social attention. Microswitches were used to activate prerecorded messages that signaled the classroom teacher to attend to the students. In Experiment 3, the students used the switches and prerecorded messages to make specific requests of educational staff in school and community settings. Results of these experiments, evaluated within multiple baseline, alternating treatments, and simultaneous treatments designs, indicated that these students could request specific activities. Results are discussed with respect to the continued use of microswitches and to program development.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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