Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) face high rates of unemployment, but supported employment models that incorporate job coaches to teach vocational skills on the jobsite improve employment outcomes. Job coaches, however, are not typically trained to implement systematic instructional practices. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a job coach training using a behavioral skills training (BST) with multiple exemplar training model to teach three systematic instructional methods (developing a task analysis, simultaneous prompting, and least-to-most prompting). A multiple probe across behaviors design was replicated across three participants and was evaluated using visual analysis. All participants demonstrated mastery of all three skills in simulated assessments following training and were able to successfully generalize these skills when teaching novel tasks to individuals with IDD. The study provides evidence that BST with multiple exemplar training can be used to teach newly hired job coaches with little experience working with individuals with IDD to implement systematic instructional strategies. Clinical implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Read
