What is Prompting?

A prompt is a specific form of assistance given by an adult before or as the toddler attempts to use a skill. With these procedures, parents, family members, early interventionists, child care providers, or other team members can use different types of prompts systematically to help toddlers with ASD acquire target skills (Neitzel, J. & Wolery, M, 2009).

Prompts are generally given by an adult before or as a toddler attempts to use a skill. With prompting procedures, parents, family members, early interventionists, child care providers, or other team member can use different types of prompts systematically to help toddlers with ASD acquire target skills (Neitzel, J. & Wolery, M, 2009).

A prompt is a specific form of assistance given before or as the toddler attempts to use a skill.

Prompting procedures include any help given to learners that assist them in using a specific skill. Verbal, gestural, or physical assistance is given to learners to assist them in acquiring or engaging in a targeted behavior or skill. Prompting procedures provide a systematic way of providing and removing prompts so that toddlers begin to perform skills independently. These procedures rely on reinforcing correct responses - both those that are prompted and those that are not. In addition to reinforcement, prompting procedures are often used in conjunction with other evidence-based practices, such as time delay, or are part of protocols for the use of other evidence-based practices such as such pivotal response training, discrete trial teaching, and video modeling. Thus, prompting procedures are considered foundational to the use of many other evidence-based practices (Cox, A., 2014; Adapted from Neitzel, J. & Wolery, M, 2009). 

Prompting procedures provide a way of systematically providing and removing prompts so that toddlers begin to perform skills independently. These procedures rely on reinforcing correct responses, both those that are prompted and those that are not. In addition to reinforcment, prompting procedures are often used in conjunction with other evidence-based practices including time delay and are an integral part of other evidence-based practices such as Pivotal Response Training and Naturalistic Intervention.

A prompting procedure is a systematic way of giving help to toddlers with ASD to acquire skills.

 

Three Components of Prompting

There are three main components in a prompting procedure:

  1. the antecedent,
  2. the behavior (target behavior or target skill), and
  3. the consequence.

These three components are critical to implementing prompting procedures effectively. Each time a team uses these three components during an activity, it is called a trial.  

The antecedent is the target stimulus and the cue.

The antecedent includes the target stimulus and the cue. The target stimulus is the “situation” in which we want the learner to perform the target skill. The target stimulus is important because it signals to the toddler that something is expected of him with or without direction from adults, therefore, helping the toddler make this connection and minimizing prompt dependency. The cue is a naturally occurring hint or task direction that tells the toddler the skills or behaviors they should be using.

EXAMPLE
 
An EI provider might give a toddler a picture card to go wash his or her hands, saying,
"Time to wash your hands."
 
The target stimulus is the dirty hands; the cue or task direction is the picture and verbal command.

 

When using prompting procedures, the cue should be consistent so that toddlers know exactly when they are supposed to do something. Toddlers are more likely to use a skill or behavior accurately when the cue and target stimulus are clear and consistent.

The behavior is the target skill or skills the toddler is to perform.
The toddler's response is essentially the target skill or behavior EI providers want the toddler to learn.
 
Types of target skills include:
 
  • discrete skills: single skills of a short duration (e.g., requesting objects, labeling pictures, social greetings)
  • chained skills: a series of behaviors/ skills that include a number of steps put together to form a complex skill such as (e.g., dressing and undressing, washing hands, cleaning up a play area)
  • response classes: groups of  responses that have the same function.

Imitating adults or peers: a variety of behaviors could be used when imitating adults or peers, such as clapping, waving, driving a toy car, point to body parts, or imitating actions in simple social games; all of these behaviors make up the response class for the skill.

Initiating social interactions: a variety of behaviors could be used when initiating social interactions with others, such as speaking to a family member or peer, getting closer to a family member or peer, or offering a toy to a family member or peer; all of these behaviors make up the response class for this skill.

Consequence: reinforcement and / or feedback

The reinforcement and feedback provided after a toddler’s response are critical components for teaching the target skill. When toddlers use skills successfully or respond accurately, feedback should be highly positive and descriptive so that toddlers know exactly what they did that was correct.

Positive feedback (reinforcement) increases the likelihood that the target skill will be used correctly in the future. With prompting procedures, correct responding should be reinforced even when it is prompted.

Feedback for incorrect responding, or incorrect use of target skill, is delivered either by ignoring the incorrect response or by applying a correction procedure (e.g. interrupting the toddler when they begin to respond incorrectly, repeating or stopping the trial, or completing the expected response).

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