A Preliminary Evaluation of Independence in a Competitive Employment Setting

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Abstract
Two students received 3 months of training at a community job site where they received minimum wage for performing clerical tasks (e.g., photocopying and mail sorting). In addition to documenting the students' improved performance on the job tasks, the students' independent demonstration of incidental behaviors was also evaluated within a case study design. Incidental behaviors were defined as any behavior that might increase independence in a job setting, but which did not receive direct instruction from staff. The results indicated that both students demonstrated increased independence in the work setting based on three qualitatively different measures of their incidental behavior. First, both students demonstrated substantial increases in their number of appropriate incidental behaviors across work days, suggesting that they were beginning to interact more appropriately with the work environment. Second, both demonstrated over 20 new incidental behaviors, suggesting that experience in the work environment resulted in collateral changes in behavior. Third, both students demonstrated a higher ratio of appropriate versus inappropriate behavior over time. The potential benefits of documenting incidental behaviors are discussed, as are limitations with the current approach.

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