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Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in Developmental Disabilities, 2008, 43(3), 388–396<br />
© <str<strong>on</strong>g>Divisi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> Developmental Disabilities<br />
Discriminati<strong>on</strong> Skills Predict Effective Preference Assessment<br />
Methods for Adults with Developmental Disabilities<br />
May S. H. Lee, Du<strong>on</strong>g Nguyen, C. T. Yu, Jennifer R. Thorsteinss<strong>on</strong>,<br />
Toby L. Martin, <strong>and</strong> Garry L. Martin<br />
University of Manitoba <strong>and</strong> St. Amant Research Centre<br />
Abstract: We examined <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> relati<strong>on</strong>ship between three discriminati<strong>on</strong> skills (visual, visual matching-to-sample,<br />
<strong>and</strong> auditory-visual) <strong>and</strong> four stimulus modalities (object, picture, spoken, <strong>and</strong> video) in assessing preferences<br />
of leisure activities for 7 adults with developmental disabilities. Three discriminati<strong>on</strong> skills were measured using<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities Test. Three participants mastered a visual discriminati<strong>on</strong> task, but<br />
not visual matching-to-sample <strong>and</strong> auditory-visual discriminati<strong>on</strong>s; two participants mastered visual <strong>and</strong><br />
visual matching-to-sample discriminati<strong>on</strong>s, but not auditory-visual discriminati<strong>on</strong>, <strong>and</strong> two participants<br />
showed all three discriminati<strong>on</strong>s. The most <strong>and</strong> least preferred activities, identified through paired-stimulus<br />
preference assessment using objects, were presented to each participant in each of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> four modalities using a<br />
reversal design. The results showed that (1) participants with visual discriminati<strong>on</strong> al<strong>on</strong>e showed a preference<br />
for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir preferred activities in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> object modality <strong>on</strong>ly; (2) those with visual <strong>and</strong> visual matching-to-sample<br />
discriminati<strong>on</strong>s, but not auditory-visual discriminati<strong>on</strong>, showed a preference for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir preferred activities in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g><br />
object but not in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> spoken modality, <strong>and</strong> mixed results in <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> pictorial <strong>and</strong> video modalities; <strong>and</strong> (3) those with<br />
all three discriminati<strong>on</strong>s showed a preference for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir preferred activities in all four modalities. These results<br />
provide partial replicati<strong>on</strong>s of previous findings <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> relati<strong>on</strong>ship between discriminati<strong>on</strong>s <strong>and</strong> object,<br />
pictorial, <strong>and</strong> spoken modalities, <strong>and</strong> extend previous research to include video stimuli.<br />
Preference assessments are important tools<br />
for educators <strong>and</strong> caregivers who work with<br />
individuals with developmental disabilities.<br />
Educators <strong>and</strong> caregivers can use preference<br />
assessments to identify reinforcers that can be<br />
used to streng<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>n adaptive skills of individuals<br />
with developmental disabilities during<br />
training programs (Green et al., 1988; Logan<br />
et al., 2001; Pace, Ivancic, Edwards, Iwata, &<br />
Page, 1985). Fur<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>rmore, allowing individuals<br />
with developmental disabilities to make<br />
choices c<strong>on</strong>tributes to <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir quality of life<br />
We thank <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> participants for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir cooperati<strong>on</strong><br />
throughout <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> study, <strong>and</strong> Leah Enns, Sara Spevack,<br />
Aynsley Verbeke, Kerri Walters, <strong>and</strong> Georgina<br />
Johnst<strong>on</strong> for <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir assistance with reliability assessments.<br />
This research was supported by grant<br />
MOP77604 from <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Canadian Institutes of Health<br />
Research. Corresp<strong>on</strong>dence c<strong>on</strong>cerning this article<br />
should be addressed to C. T. Yu, 440 River Road,<br />
Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R2M 3Z9. Email:<br />
yu@stamant.mb.ca. Or Garry Martin, 129 St. Paul’s<br />
College, 70 Dysart Road, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada,<br />
R3T 2M6. Email: gmartin@cc.umanitoba.ca<br />
388 / Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in Developmental Disabilities-September 2008<br />
(Hughes, Hwang, Kim, Eisenman, & Killian,<br />
1995; Stock, Davies, Secor, & Wehmeyer,<br />
2003).<br />
Preference assessment effectiveness (i.e.,<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir ability to distinguish high preference<br />
items from less preferred items) depends both<br />
<strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> presentati<strong>on</strong> modality of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> items or<br />
activities used, <strong>and</strong> <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> discriminati<strong>on</strong> skills<br />
of <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> individuals whose preferences are assessed.<br />
C<strong>on</strong>yers et al. (2002), for example,<br />
measured visual, visual matching-to-sample,<br />
<strong>and</strong> auditory-visual discriminati<strong>on</strong> skills of<br />
nine pers<strong>on</strong>s with mental retardati<strong>on</strong> using<br />
<str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA)<br />
Test (Kerr, Meyers<strong>on</strong>, & Flora, 1977; Martin &<br />
Yu, 2000). In <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir first experiment with food<br />
items, <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>y found that (a) all three participants<br />
who passed <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> visual discriminati<strong>on</strong><br />
assessment, but failed both <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> visual matching-to-sample<br />
<strong>and</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> auditory-visual discriminati<strong>on</strong><br />
assessments <strong>on</strong> <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g> ABLA test could<br />
c<strong>on</strong>sistently select <str<strong>on</strong>g>the</str<strong>on</strong>g>ir most preferred item<br />
in object preference assessment but not in<br />
picture or verbal preference assessments; (b)