The field of special education has begun to concentrate its efforts on developing objectives and procedural strategies that promote a positive quality of life for students with profound multiple disabilities, while determining which educational strategies are the most appropriate. A multielement design was used to compare the effects of two educational conditions, academic skills instruction and functional life skills instruction, on the quality of life indicators of four students with profound multiple disabilities. Results indicated that all four students demonstrated a greater number of behaviors associated with happiness while receiving academic skills instruction. Implications for current educational practices are addressed and directions for future research are discussed. 1. Introduction Historically, a relatively limited amount of research in the field of special education has focused upon both the academic and functional needs of students with profound multiple disabilities (PMD). Students with PMD are those considered to be the most significantly impaired. In public schools in the United States, this small population of students encompasses children between the ages of three and twenty-one diagnosed with a combination of disabilities including, but not limited to profound cognitive impairment, severe physical disabilities, substantial sensory difficulties, and/or chronic medical conditions [1–3]. These students require pervasive levels of support while in school as their level of overall development peaked at approximately two years of age in all core areas of functioning (e.g., communication, social skills, mobility, and self-help skills) [3]. Consequently, instruction for this population was based solely on a functional life skills curriculum which focused upon teaching important knowledge and skills that assisted the student to be more independent in the home and community. Despite the success of teaching the functional life skills curriculum [4], there was no regard for academic success with this population of learners. Previously, teachers had minimal expectations regarding academic achievement of students with PMD [5] and special educators often struggled with determining appropriate methods to encourage active participation during academic tasks. Additionally, quality of life concepts, such as happiness and self-determination, were often disregarded when considering educational focus [6–8]. However, following the passage of recent legislation in the United States, the curricular focus for students with PMD is changing. The Individuals
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