The Effects Employing Sign Language and Rewards to Teach Rote Counting to 50 with a Student with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of sign language to teach a second grade student with developmental delays to rote count to fifty. The second grade student with a communication delay that impacted his ability to produce oral communication served as our participant. An ABAB reversal design was used to evaluate the effects of employing sign language. The outcomes indicated an initial gradual improvement in our participant’s skills in rote counting. A return to baseline resulted in a large decrease in performance. A replication of the sign language condition resulted in a large improvements in correct counting. The efficacy of employing manual sign language in the classroom was discussed. Both teachers and parents were satisfied with the outcomes.