Abstract
The present study aimed to improve the writing performance of a boy (12 years 6 months old) with pervasive developmental disorders, and examine conditions necessary for making the self-recording package functional. During Baseline, the participant copied target kanji (Japanese characters). In Self-recording Phase I, the participant recorded kanji copied, following a definition of correct responses. After the introduction of the self-recording procedure, the proportion of writing that was correct increased, but it then immediately decreased. Furthermore, the accuracy of the self-recording revealed a tendency similar to that for correct writing. Therefore, discrimination training was introduced in order to enhance the discrimination of correct responses, and the self-recording sheet was revised in order to enhance accurate self-recording. Following that training, in Self-recording Phase II, the proportion of writing that was correct and the accuracy of self-recording were higher than they had been in the latter part of Self-recording Phase I. Correct writing continued at a high level in the maintenance period. The results of the present study suggest that the self-recording package, including discrimination training and the individualization of the self-recording sheet, may have been effective for improving the student's writing. Limitations of the present study include the absence of an evaluation of generalization in a natural setting and an appropriate experimental design.
