etadd_46(4) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
etadd_46(4) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
etadd_46(4) - Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
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Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in <strong>Autism</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>, 2011, <str<strong>on</strong>g>46</str<strong>on</strong>g>(4), 528-543<br />
© <str<strong>on</strong>g>Divisi<strong>on</strong></str<strong>on</strong>g> <strong>on</strong> <strong>Autism</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong><br />
Simultaneous Prompting: An Instructi<strong>on</strong>al Strategy for Skill<br />
Acquisiti<strong>on</strong><br />
Rebecca E. Waugh, Paul A. Alberto, <strong>and</strong> Laura D. Fredrick<br />
Georgia State University<br />
Abstract: Errorless learning is an instructi<strong>on</strong>al approach designed to eliminate <strong>and</strong>/or reduce the number of<br />
errors students produce in traditi<strong>on</strong>al trial-<strong>and</strong>-error approaches (Mueller, Palkovic, & Maynard, 2007).<br />
Various resp<strong>on</strong>se prompting strategies are employed to produce errorless learning. Simultaneous prompting is an<br />
errorless learning strategy that has a growing body of literature to support its use spanning two decades. This<br />
paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature including (a) skills targeted for instructi<strong>on</strong>, (b)<br />
populati<strong>on</strong>s targeted for instructi<strong>on</strong>, (c) strengths <strong>and</strong> weaknesses of simultaneous prompting, <strong>and</strong> (d) future<br />
areas of research.<br />
Errorless learning is an instructi<strong>on</strong>al approach<br />
designed to reduce the number of<br />
errors students make in traditi<strong>on</strong>al trial-<strong>and</strong>error<br />
approaches (Mueller, Palkovic, & Maynard,<br />
2007). During errorless learning procedures<br />
stimulus c<strong>on</strong>trol is transferred from the<br />
c<strong>on</strong>trolling prompt to the discriminative stimulus.<br />
This transfer is achieved through the use<br />
of resp<strong>on</strong>se prompting strategies. Resp<strong>on</strong>se<br />
prompting strategies c<strong>on</strong>sist of additi<strong>on</strong>al informati<strong>on</strong><br />
which results in the correct resp<strong>on</strong>se<br />
being emitted (Wolery, Ault, & Doyle,<br />
1992). The underlying purpose of errorless<br />
learning is the transfer of stimulus c<strong>on</strong>trol<br />
from a resp<strong>on</strong>se prompt to the natural stimulus.<br />
Wolery <strong>and</strong> Gast (1984) identified four<br />
comm<strong>on</strong> resp<strong>on</strong>se prompting strategies that<br />
comm<strong>on</strong>ly are employed to transfer stimulus<br />
c<strong>on</strong>trol: (a) most-to-least prompts, (b) least-tomost<br />
prompts, (c) graduated guidance, <strong>and</strong><br />
(d) time delay. Most-to-least prompts c<strong>on</strong>sists<br />
of employing the most intrusive prompt<br />
needed to assist the student in emitting the<br />
correct resp<strong>on</strong>se <strong>and</strong> fading the intensity of<br />
the prompt until the student is correctly resp<strong>on</strong>ding<br />
to the discriminative stimulus independently.<br />
Least-to-most prompts provide the<br />
Corresp<strong>on</strong>dence c<strong>on</strong>cerning this article should<br />
be addressed to Rebecca E. Waugh, Georgia State<br />
University, Department of Educati<strong>on</strong>al Psychology<br />
<strong>and</strong> Special Educati<strong>on</strong>, PO Box 3979, Atlanta, GA<br />
30302-3979. Email: rwaugh1@gsu.edu<br />
student with an opportunity to resp<strong>on</strong>d independently<br />
to the discriminative stimulus. If<br />
the student resp<strong>on</strong>ds incorrectly a prompt is<br />
provided which gradually increases in intensity<br />
until the student resp<strong>on</strong>ds correctly to the<br />
discriminative stimulus. “Graduated guidance<br />
is a technique combining physical guidance<br />
<strong>and</strong> fading in which the physical guidance is<br />
systematically <strong>and</strong> gradually reduced <strong>and</strong> then<br />
faded completely” (Foxx, 1982, p. 129). Graduate<br />
guidance relies heavily <strong>on</strong> the teacher’s<br />
judgment whether or not a prompt is required<br />
or the degree of prompt required. There are<br />
two forms of graduated guidance. During <strong>on</strong>e<br />
form a teacher shadows a student’s movement<br />
when teaching a task to provide guidance during<br />
each step or to remove the physical<br />
prompt. During a sec<strong>on</strong>d form of graduated<br />
guidance the teacher may provide c<strong>on</strong>stant<br />
c<strong>on</strong>tact but gradually <strong>and</strong> systematically reduce<br />
the intrusiveness <strong>and</strong> placement of the<br />
prompt (Foxx, 1981; Wolery & Gast, 1984).<br />
Time delay is the fourth comm<strong>on</strong> resp<strong>on</strong>se<br />
prompting strategy which results in near errorless<br />
learning by transferring stimulus c<strong>on</strong>trol<br />
from a c<strong>on</strong>trolling prompt to the discriminative<br />
stimulus by inserting a delay between<br />
the presentati<strong>on</strong> of the discriminative stimulus<br />
<strong>and</strong> the c<strong>on</strong>trolling prompt (Snell & Gast,<br />
1981; Touchette, 1971). Two forms of time<br />
delay are reported in the literature, progressive<br />
time delay (PTD) <strong>and</strong> c<strong>on</strong>stant time delay<br />
(CTD). During PTD a systematically increased<br />
528 / Educati<strong>on</strong> <strong>and</strong> Training in <strong>Autism</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>Developmental</strong> <strong>Disabilities</strong>-December 2011