Component analysis of a self-monitoring intervention for increasing task engagement for individuals with developmental disabilities.

Self-monitoring (SM) has been used as part of intervention packages to enhance skills such as leisure and vocational engagement for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). However, the effectiveness of SM alone remains unclear. We analyzed components of an SM intervention to increase task engagement for five individuals with IDD. Participants were first taught to accurately self-monitor their engagement. Sequential analyses evaluated SM alone, SM + differential reinforcement (DR) for accurate SM, SM + DR for accurate SM and task engagement, and DR for task engagement. SM alone was ineffective. Combining SM with DR for accurate SM improved accuracy of SM for all participants but increased task engagement for only two. Combining SM with DR for both accurate SM and task engagement increased engagement for the remaining participants. High levels of task engagement were maintained when reinforcement for engagement was provided without SM. Implications for intervention design are discussed.