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The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities Test for Predicting Learning of Persons With Intellectual Disabilities

A Review

University of Manitoba, gmartin{at}cc.umanitoba.ca

Jennifer R. Thorsteinsson

University of Manitoba

C.T. Yu

St. Amant

Toby L. Martin

St. Amant

Tricia Vause

Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada

The Assessment of Basic Learning Abilities (ABLA) Test uses standard prompting and reinforcement procedures to assess the ease or difficulty with which a testee is able to learn a simple imitation and five two-choice discriminations. The authors review studies that have examined performance of participants with developmental disabilities (DD) on the ABLA test to predict (a) performance on a variety of simple imitations and two-choice discriminations, (b) performance on three-choice and four-choice discriminations, (c) the relative efficacy of three presentation modes (objects vs. photographs vs. verbal descriptions) for assessing preferences, (d) compliance of adults with DD and children with and without DD, and (e) participants' ability to learn to respond to the spoken names of pictures of common objects. Across all five types of studies, the predictive validity of the ABLA test has been very high.

Key Words: behavioral assessment • discrimination learning • intellectual disabilities assessment • basic learning abilities

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Behavior Modification, Vol. 32, No. 2, 228-247 (2008)
DOI: 10.1177/0145445507309022


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This Article Abstract Free Full Text (Free PDF) Free Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Martin, G. L. Articles by Vause, T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Martin, G. L. Articles by Vause, T. Pubmed/NCBI databases Medline Plus Health Information Learning Disorders Social Bookmarking                         What's this?