The effectiveness of stimulus modification procedures in teaching response topography to individuals with severe developmental disability

Stimulus modification procedures involve changes to the task materials that are intended to facilitate the response. Their application in teaching stimulus discriminations has been extensively investigated. Less attention has been given to their use in teaching response topography, and there is little evidence relating to their effectiveness in this context. Previous studies have failed specifically to target the response topography and/or to include an appropriate control condition. The present study compared the effectiveness of a physical guidance procedure with a combination of this procedure and stimulus modifications in teaching response topographies to three individuals with severe developmental disability. The combination proved more effective, suggesting that stimulus modification procedures can, indeed, facilitate the acquisition of response topography. They may be particularly useful when teaching those with a more severe developmental disability.