PROJECT SIMU-TEACH WILL DEVELOP AN INTERACTIVE VIDEODISC TRAINING SYSTEM FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS OF MR/DD CHILDREN AGED BIRTH TO SIX YEARS.

PROJECT SIMU-TEACH WILL DEVELOP AN INTERACTIVE VIDEODISC TRAINING SYSTEM FOR TEACHERS AND PARENTS OF MR/DD CHILDREN AGED BIRTH TO SIX YEARS. TEACHERS AND PARENTS WILL BE ABLE TO SIMULATE THE TEACHING OF A CHILD OR INFANT BY SELECTING INSTRUCTIONAL PROCEDURES VIA A PERSONAL COMPUTER AND WATCHING THE CHILD'S REACTION THROUGH THE VIDEO MONITOR. THE INTERACTIVE VIDEODISC COUPLED WITH RANDOM ACCESS AUDIO TECHNOLOGY IS IN THE FOREFRONT OF COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY, AND THE PROPOSED SIMULATED TEACHING IS DIRECTLY COMPARABLE TO THE SIMULATED FLIGHT TRAINING RECEIVED BY AIRLINE PILOTS. COMMERCIAL APPLICATION WILL PROVIDE SIMU-TEACH SYSTEMS IN UNIVERSITIES, SCHOOLS, AND SERVICE AGENCIES, AND INDIVIDUAL HOMES. PHASE I WILL RESEARCH AND DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM REPRESENTING LIMITED CURRICULAR CONTENT AND VIDEO TAPE IN LIEU OF A VIDEODISC. PHASE I INCLUDES SURVEY OF THE RATE OF USE AND VALIDITY OF EARLY INTERVENTION CURRICULA, DESIGN OF BRANCHING SEQUENCES FOR TYPICAL CURRICULAR OBJECTIVES, AND PRODUCTION OF VISUAL RECORDINGS AND SOFTWARE, AND PILOT TESTING OF THE PROTOTYPE SYSTEM. THE PHASE II SIMU-TEACH SYSTEM WILL BE THE FIRST INTERACTIVE VIDEODISC APPLICATION IN THE EDUCATION OF HANDICAPPED INFANTS AND CHILDREN. MAJOR HEALTH BENEFITS WILL RESULT FROM IMPROVED PREPARATION OF SERVICE PROFESSIONALS, GREATER ON-THE-JOB PROFICIENCY, AND INCREASED PARENT EFFECTIVENESS IN FOSTERING DEVELOPMENT OF THE MR/DD INFANT AND CHILD.