QuickTips: Prompting and Fading
What are prompts?
prompts? How to fade prompts:
Prompts are anything that helps your child/student respond correctly to Fading is the systematic removal of prompts, and is essential if you want
an instruction. They are given in addition to whatever instruction you your child to respond independently to your instructions.
would like evoke a particular response. There are many different types of
prompts, including: To fade, you should introduce increasingly subtle prompts after each
• Physical/partial physical prompts: physically manipulating your correct response from your child. To increase your child’s independence,
child’s hands/body so that the response occurs (also often called you should adjust the reinforcement so that your child receives more
“hand over hand”) powerful reinforcers with each increment of progress—more
• Imitative and echoic prompts: modeling (physically or vocally) the independent responses should get more reinforcement than more
correct answer (e.g., clapping your own hands as you give the prompted responses. You should also try to vary the prompt style used,
instruction, “clap hands”; saying “cat” when you ask what a picture so that your child does not become dependent upon a specific type of
of a cat is) prompt. Using the least intrusive prompt will make fading easier: that
• Gestural prompts: either giving a partial model, or gesturing to is, use partial prompts rather than full prompts, imitative rather than
indicate the location of the correct response (e.g., pointing to the physical prompts, and gestural or positional prompts rather than more
chair as you say “sit down”) direct prompts (such as physical or imitative) whenever possible.
• Positional prompts: moving the stimuli in an array so that the
correct choice is clear (e.g., moving the correct choice closer, Before or while giving a prompt, always restate the original instruction
reducing the array of choices) so that the response will be given under the control of the instruction
• Direct verbal prompts: verbal instructions that tell the child exactly rather than the prompt. If, for example, you give the instruction “Touch
what to do, often as part of a multi-step task (e.g., saying “turn on cup,” and your child doesn’t respond, and you then tap the cup without
the water” when you are working on washing hands) repeating your instruction, you will only teach him to attend to your
• Indirect verbal prompts: a verbal “hint” that a response should prompts. In this example, you should be sure to repeat, “Touch cup”
occur, without saying exactly what to do (e.g., saying “what do you before or as you tap the cup so that your child responds to both the
need to do next?” when working on washing hands) instruction and the prompt—the goal, of course, being to get the child to
touch the cup when instructed, without the prompt being necessary.
Use errorless learning: Avoiding prompt dependency:
dependency:
Errorless learning involves presenting an instruction with a prompt, so There are many teaching factors that may contribute to prompt
that there is a 100% chance that your child will be correct. When using dependency, and prompt dependency may also result when an
errorless learning, the instruction is not presented without prompts until inappropriate skill is targeted. Here are some key points to remember
the prompts have all been systematically faded. This technique should be when prompting (also see QuickTips: Correction Procedure, Discrete
used when teaching new skills, and is particularly helpful when teaching Trials, and Instructional Control):
early learners as it minimizes the frustration that would result from • Be sure you have your child’s attention before presenting an
frequent errors. Errorless learning involves fading out prompts instruction.
systematically over a period of time, rather than trying to transfer the • Wait (up to 5-7 seconds) for an independent response before
skill to independence immediately (see QuickTips: Correction assuming that your child is not going to respond.
Procedure). • Be sure you have an effective reinforcer.
• Repeat the instruction whenever you provide the prompt.
For example, to teach your child to imitate tapping the table, give the • Attempt to fade the prompts as quickly as possible.
instruction, “do this” while tapping the table and physically prompting • Reinforce less prompted (more independent) responses more highly
the response by placing your hand on his hand and tapping the table. than more prompted (less independent responses.
Once this level of the skill is strong, the next time you give the Another potential problem area is inadvertent prompting. If your child
instruction, move your hand to his wrist so that he is tapping more responds correctly only to a certain instructor, it is possible that she is
independently. Later, try and go a little further and move your hand to inadvertently prompting the response (or, that she is the only one with
his lower arm. Then, try a partial physical prompt, keeping your hands at good instructional control). Have someone observe you, or videotape
his lower arm and gently pushing his hand down so that he completes the yourself, to watch for inadvertent prompts. Some common inadvertent
action. Eventually you should be able to give the instruction “Do this” prompts are: looking at the correct answer, providing imitative or echoic
while tapping the table, and evoke the correct response without any prompts without realizing it, moving the correct target, always having
prompts. This is just one example of the sequence of prompts that you the correct answer in the same position or order, and changing your
can use. Some children may not need this many prompt levels, while expression depending on whether the child appears to be reaching for the
others may require many trials at each level. correct answer or not.
References and further readings:
Martin, G.L. & Pear, J.J. (1999). Behavior modification: What it is and how to do it, 6th ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. “Chapter 9:
Developing Appropriate Behavior with Fading.”
Skinner, B.F. (1953). Science and human behavior. New York: Free Press.
Copyright Behavior Analysts, Inc., 2001 Product QT4 v.1.0
www.behavioranalysts.com
QuickTips: Prompting and Fading
Exercise: Identifying a Variety of Prompts
Select several skills that you are trying to teach your child. How many different ways can you prompt these skills? Rank these in order
of intrusiveness.
Skill:
Instruction:
Possible prompts:
Skill:
Instruction:
Possible prompts:
Skill:
Instruction:
Possible prompts:
Prompting and Fading Checklist
the prompt used is the least intrusive one that will ensure success
if there is no response to the prompt, a more intrusive prompt is used until the child is successful
a variety of prompts are used to teach the skill
the instruction is repeated with the prompt
instructor attempts to fade the prompt as soon as possible
less-prompted responses are reinforced more highly than more-prompted responses
instructor gives sufficient time (up to 5-7 s) after instruction before repeating the instruction with a prompt
instruction is presented when the child is attending
instructor is not inadvertently prompting the response
Copyright Behavior Analysts, Inc., 2001 Product QT4 v.1.0
www.behavioranalysts.com
