Comparison of two methods of teaching word-processing skills to persons with mental retardation

This study compares the effectiveness of two intervention approaches, task analysis and cognitive strategy, for imparting the first stages of word-processing skills to adults with mental retardation. The subjects were 25 persons with mild and moderate mental retardation, in three age-groups: young adults (ages 20-29), adults (ages 30-39) and elderly adults (ages 40+). Basic text-typing and paragraph transfer were taught. Fifteen participants were taught through task analysis and 10 through cognitive, instruction. Results show that, with both methods, skills were acquired; however, for some tasks, the cognitive approach was preferred.