Abstract
The present study utilized a multiple baseline across participants design and targeted a crucial component of social interaction, conversational skills, through implementation of the teaching interactions procedure with college students with intellectual disabilities within naturalistic settings. For each participant, the mean frequency of both elaborating on responses and asking questions during conversations with peers increased during the intervention phase. Among all three participants, increases in mean frequency related to both elaborating on responses and asking questions during conversations with peers were also observed during generalization probes within campus dining halls. Results suggest that utilizing the teaching interactions procedure within naturalistic settings can enhance the development and generalization of conversational skills among young adults with intellectual disabilities. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Keywords: college, university, social skills, intellectual disability, conversational skills
