Auditory Feedback and Time-on-Task of Postural Alignment of Individuals with Profound Mental Retardation
in Adapted Physical Activity QuarterlyClick name to view affiliation
The purpose was to determine the effectiveness of three feedback conditions (aversive tone, preferred music, and no feedback) on time-on-task of correct upper body postural alignment in adults with profound mental retardation (PMR). Participants were seven adults (3 males and 4 females), ages 25 to 34. A randomized multiple-treatment design with generalization and follow-up phases was used. Participants received three randomly assigned conditions each day for a total of 45 sessions over 15 days. Five of the participants increased time-on-task in response to preferred music, whereas two participants increased time-on-task in response to both aversive tone and preferred music. Friedman two-way analysis of variance indicated that music was significantly more effective than other conditions. It was concluded that preferred music feedback is, at least minimally, effective in improving time-on-task of upper body postural alignment of adults with PMR.
Lisa Silliman-French is with the Special Education Department in the Denton Independent School District, Denton, TX 76207. Ron French, Claudine Sherrill, and Barbara Gench are all with the Kinesiology Department at the Texas Woman’s University, Denton, TX 76204.
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