A Report on Using General-Case Programming to Teach Collateral Academic Skills to a Student in a Postsecondary Setting

Abstract

The authors’ purpose in this report is to examine the application of general-case programming to teach collateral academic skills to a student with pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) and with a mild intellectual disability who was attending college. The authors use data drawn from their work with Tom to explain and illustrate how a general-case approach may be developed and implemented effectively. The authors’ experience provides initial support for the utility of general-case programming for teaching acquisition and generalization of collateral academic skills. They make recommendations to guide researchers in future investigations of the application of the general-case programming to teach skills that enhance the successful integration of students with disabilities in postsecondary programs.