Preventing Substance Abuse in Special Education Students

DESCRIPTION (provided by investigator): The overall goal of this project is to create an interactive program designed to prevent use and abuse of illicit substances among youth with mental retardation and developmental disabilities (IMRDD). Young people with MRDD want to be like, and be accepted by their non-disabled peers. Research has shown that MRDD youth are more apt to use illicit substances in response to social (i.e., peer) pressure than their non-disabled peers. Additionally, approximately half of individuals with MRDD who use substances (including alcohol) may be characterized as substance abusers. Individuals with MRDD that abuse substances suffer the same health-related, social, economic, and emotional consequences as people without MRDD. This project will develop four stand-alone gender-specific CD-ROM substance abuse prevention programs for youth with MRDD at middle school and high school age levels. Within each program, the social and behavioral skills required for (a) recognition of, (b) response to, and (c) retreat from substance use risk situations will be taught via an interactive text-free program that incorporates graphic, animation, and video components. Direct Instruction (DI) methodology will be employed to facilitate mastery of program content for all program users. Forty MRDD high school males in a pre/post test design will evaluate the program. PROPOSED COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS: This program fills a unique need: Substance abuse prevention for youth with mental retardation and developmental disabilities (MRDD). This product will be attractive to people with MRDD, and anyone serving this population (e.g., schools, health clinics, parents, services for at-risk youth, training centers, vocational and residential services.