Abstract
Research problem. Students with severe multiple disabilities often have poor prognoses for developing the motor skill functions necessary to sit, stand, and walk. Functional mobility skills, however, are essential for participation in age-appropriate instructional activities. The purpose of this study was to compare the mobility skill achievement of students with severe multiple disabilities, ages three to twenty-two, who were instructed by their teachers with the Mobility Opportunities Via Education (M.O.V.E.) curriculum and traditional programs. Methodology. A quasi-experimental nonrandomized control-group pretest-posttest design was selected for this study. The independent variable was the instructional method used to teach sitting, standing, and walking skills. Mobility achievement was measured by the Top-Down Motor Milestone Test. The moderator variable of student age was examined for its possible influence on student achievement. At the end of a seven-month experimental period, treatment and control groups were retested. The Chi-Square Test of Independence or the Fisher Exact Probability Test, depending upon sample size, was used to compare the achievement of both groups. Major findings. A significantly larger number of treatment than control students made progress toward achieving sitting and walking skills. The performance of both groups was similar for standing. Younger treatment students (ages three to seven) made significant progress in standing and walking, while older treatment students (ages eight to twenty-two) made significant progress in sitting and walking. Conclusions. Many students with severe multiple disabilities can learn functional sitting, standing, and walking skills. The M.O.V.E. curriculum, with sufficient support services to teachers, is more beneficial than traditional methods for teaching sitting, standing, and walking skills to students, ages three to twenty-two.