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Both applied and conceptual experiments based on Skinner's theory of verbal behavior have led to significant benefits for: (a) persons with language disorders and delays, (b) students who need to bridge the achievement gap, (c) professionals who work with students, and (d) individuals who wish to design functional curricula and pedagogy to meet international educational standards. In our efforts to develop schools that provided an evidence-based education that was comprehensive in scope, we needed to address complex curricular goals that could be addressed scientifically only by drawing on Skinner's theory. This need then led to the conduct of over 40 experiments on Skinner's theory leading to procedures that filled many of the gaps needed to provide a total educational experience based entirely on scientifically derived procedures and curricula. We discuss the individual and cumulative findings of this research program (from dissertations, published papers, and papers in the publication process) including procedures for individuals for whom existing procedures were not effective. Procedures were identified for: (a) inducing speech and communicative "functions" for persons with autism and developmental disabilities, (b) replacing faulty speech with effective communication, (c) teaching self-editing and self-management repertoires for functionally effective writing, and (d) teaching complex problem solving repertoires to professionals such that stronger treatment and educational outcomes resulted for a variety of learners. Finally, we describe how these findings and recent research in multiple exemplar instructional histories suggest procedures for teaching generative forms and functions of verbal behavior building on Skinner's work and the role of multiple exemplar instructional histories. (Contains 1 table.)

1Boy Crusoe

By Allan Eric

Also published as" A Yankee Crusoe" . A 15 year old hard working and studious farm boy finds the lure of adventure on the seas as a merchant seaman more than he can resist. This is his story. " I was born in a little town in the State of Maine, near the close of the Civil War. My boyhood life did not differ materially from that of the average farmer's son in the remote country districts of New England--except, perhaps, that I read more and thought more. Hard work on the rugged soil, two terms each year in the little yellow country schoolhouse, a day's fishing now and then filled the early years of my life full to over-flowing. " What he gets is enough excitement and adventure to overflow his wildest dreams. How he experiences disaster and uses his wits and knowledge to overcome every problem makes for a great read. - Summary by Phil Chenevert