Checking the list: Can a model of Down syndrome help us explore the intellectual accessibility of Heritage sites?

There is currently a lack of provision for, and research into, the intellectual accessibility of heritage sites. This paper explores some possible ways forward. It examines recent research with people described as having Down syndrome and uses the syndrome's identified characteristics to create good practice guidelines. It assesses these guidelines against an audio tour written for people with learning difficulties. In conclusion, the paper suggests that drawing upon a generalised model of Down syndrome and these good practice guidelines will allow sites to identify some potential barriers and enablers to intellectual accessibility, but that fully to appreciate the effectiveness of their provision they must still institute site?specific research by people with learning difficulties

Evidence-based Kernels: Fundamental Units of Behavioral Influence

This paper describes evidence-based kernels, fundamental units of behavioral influence that appear to underlie effective prevention and treatment for children, adults, and families. A kernel is a behavior–influence procedure shown through experimental analysis to affect a specific behavior and that is indivisible in the sense that removing any of its components would render it inert. Existing evidence shows that a variety of kernels can influence behavior in context, and some evidence suggests that frequent use or sufficient use of some kernels may produce longer lasting behavioral shifts. The analysis of kernels could contribute to an empirically based theory of behavioral influence, augment existing prevention or treatment efforts, facilitate the dissemination of effective prevention and treatment practices, clarify the active ingredients in existing interventions, and contribute to efficiently developing interventions that are more effective. Kernels involve one or more of the following mechanisms of behavior influence: reinforcement, altering antecedents, changing verbal relational responding, or changing physiological states directly. The paper describes 52 of these kernels, and details practical, theoretical, and research implications, including calling for a national database of kernels that influence human behavior