Teaching Social Problem Solving to Individuals with Mental Retardation

The purpose of this study was to determine effectiveness of a problem-solving curriculum for transition-age students with mental retardation. The interactive training program Solving Your Problems (Browning, n.d.) was used to teach a five-step process for solving problems. Results indicate participants in the training group were able to use the five-step problem solving process to solve problem situations. Additionally, members of the training group scored higher than those in the control group on a problem-solving curriculum measure and were able to generate more alternative solutions to novel problem situations. There was some evidence of generalization of the five-step process to novel problem situations. Participant feedback on training was positive. Improving social behavior of people with mental retardation has long been a goal of researchers (Wehmeyer & Kelchner, 1994). In a review of intervention strategies to improve social skills in the employment setting, Huang and Cuvo (1997) found that treatment procedures could be grouped into six categories: (a) modeling, (b) consequence management, (c) peer-mediated strategies, (d) self-management training, (e) social skills training packages, and (f) process training. Each of these treatment procedures employs different strategies to teach skills. Many have used behavior modification techniques (e.g., Breen, Hating, Pitts-Conway, & Gaylord-Ross, 1985; Karlan & Rusch, 1982; Matson & Senatore, 1981; Morgan & Salzberg, 1992). These traditional social skill training approaches focus on teaching skills needed to interact, and have been effective in teaching skills in the classroom. Unfortunately, this skill training has not resulted in increased social competence or employment outcomes. The employment rate for individuals with mental retardation has remained at about 60% for the last four decades (Benz, Yovanoff, & Doren, 1997; Bobroff, 1956; Dinger, 1961; Stanfield, 1973). Greenspan and Granfield (1992) developed a model of social competence that may explain why traditional social skills training programs have not resulted in increased social competence and employment outcomes for individuals with mental retardation. According to Greenspan and Granfield, there are two intellectual aspects of social competence, practical intelligence and social intelligence. Social intelligence is made up of social skills and social awareness. The training approaches described above (i.e., modeling, consequence management, peer-mediated strategies, selfmanagement training, social skills training packages) increase social skills but do not necessarily increase social awareness. To effectively increase social competence, training procedures must address the social-cognitive abilities of the individual with mental retardation as well (Siperstein, 1992). Process training addresses cognition. In process training, focus is not on teaching a behavior but on teaching the process of understanding the social situation and using learned skills appropriate to the situation. Training usually involves the following steps: (a) decoding, (b) decision-making, (c) performance, and (d) evaluation. Individuals with mental retardation are taught to understand Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Steven A. Crites, Indiana UniversityPurdue University Fort Wayne, School of Education, Department of Professional Studies Neff 250K, 2101 E. Coliseum Blvd., Fort Wayne, IN 46805-1499. E-mail: [email protected] Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 2004, 39(4), 301–309 © Division on Developmental Disabilities Teaching Problem Solving / 301 the context of the social situation, determine alternative social behaviors and choose the most desirable, perform the behavior, and evaluate effectiveness of the chosen behavior (Huang & Cuvo, 1997). The teaching of social problem solving provides a framework for interpreting the social situation and generating appropriate alternative behaviors. This approach teaches cognitive skills which may increase social competence and, in turn, job retention (Wehmeyer & Kelchner, 1994). The purpose of this study was to determine effectiveness of a problem-solving curriculum for transition-age students with mental retardation. A modified version of the interactive videodisc problem-solving training package, Solving Your Problems (Browning, n.d.), was used for training. Individuals with mental retardation were taught a five-step problem solving procedure. The steps included: (a) identify the problem, (b) size up the problem, (c) think up solutions, (d) decide upon a solution, and (e) study what happens. The investigation was designed to answer the following questions: 1. Will there be a difference between treatment and control groups in problemsolving ability after treatment? 2. Will there be a difference between treatment and control groups in problemsolving knowledge after treatment? 3. Will there be a difference between treatment and control groups in ability to use a five-step process to solve problems after treatment? 4. Will there be a difference between treatment and control groups in number of solutions generated to two problem scenarios after treatment? 5. Will students in the treatment group learn to use the 5-step process to solve untrained problem situations? 6. How will participants in the treatment group rate the training curriculum after treatment?