Collecting Trial-by-Trial Data on Severely Handicapped Children with the Aid of a Microprocessor

Continuous paper-pencil data collection and summarizing time was monitored and compared with an automated data collection system made possible by a microprocessor computer. Fifteen autistic and/or severely handicapped students ranging in age from four years to fourteen years participated in the study. The automated data collection system was found to be significantly faster and more precise than the conventional paper-pencil recording of individual trials and summarization of trials.