An Evaluation of Two Supplemental SAFMEDS Procedures

Abstract

SAFMEDS, a fluency based intervention that often uses flashcards, stands for “say-all-fast-minute-every-day-shuffled.” It is typically used in rate building and as a knowledge based assessment across numerous settings. A review of the fluency and SAFMEDS literature shows a lack of empirical research with this commonly used intervention (Quigley et al., 2017). Many differences in SAFMEDS implementations exist, including numerous variations to the procedure itself. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of the basic SAFMEDS procedure for learning Chinese characters when compared to two supplemental practice procedures. The basic SAFMEDS procedure did not appear to be effective in significantly increasing the rate of correct responding in participants learning Chinese characters. Rates of correct responding were greater with additional practice added to the basic SAFMEDS procedure; specifically, higher levels of responding were evident in conditions using the whole deck review supplemental practice procedure.