A Travel Training Program

Abstract

Recent research has developed travel training programs for teaching retarded persons to walk a designated path. However, the problem remains of how to handle individuals who exhibit wandering behavior that impedes training. A token program was devised to reduce off-path wandering by a 25-year-old, severly retarded female, who had a 6-year history of wandering around institutional grounds. The treatment included reinforcement for staying on the path, and response cost for wandering. The experimental design combined a reversal and a multiple baseline across trips. Wandering was reduced to zero after 2 days of treatment on three separate occasions, and remained at or near zero after 2 days of treatment of three separate occasions, and remained at or near zero throughout treatment, and at six monthly follow-ups. Clinical significances was established using a social validation questionnaire.