Introduction to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Online Tutorial |
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Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) A good summary video on DTT with many video examples is below. Please note that it is not required that the child be seated in this type of chair. Discrete trials can be done almost anywhere: a table, a desk, on the floor, etc. (wherever you and the child are most comfortable). According to the Association for Science in Autism Treatment, “Discrete-trial instruction is a well-established intervention technique and has been shown to be effective in teaching various language, social, and academic skills to individuals with autism. It usually needs to be combined, however, with other teaching methods to ensure that individuals with autism transfer skills from the teaching situation to everyday environments.” While there is a large research base supporting DTT, and it certainly has a place in the vast majority of ABA intervention programs, Prelock, Paul, and Allen (2011) suggest that DTT methods “rely heavily on teacher direction, prompted responses, and contrived reinforcement…they often lead to a passive style of communication in which children respond to prompts…but do not initiate communication.” These authors also indicate that the highly structured nature of DTT may make it difficult for a student to generalize skills to new situations or settings. Thus, naturalistic approaches that address these issues are also an important component of ABA programs. While there are many types of interventions that could be considered “naturalistic” ABA methods, for the purposes of this tutorial, I’m going to focus on two that I frequently use: Incidental Teaching and Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). What’s important to keep in mind about these intervention methods is that they are based on the same principles of behavior analysis as DTT, but these principles are applied in different ways. Let’s examine each of these methods in more detail. Additional Reference Prelock, P. A., Paul, R., & Allen, E. M.. (2011). Evidence-based treatments in communication for children with autism spectrum disorders. In B. Rechow, P. Doehring, D. V. Cicchetti, & F. R. Volkmar, (Eds.), Evidence-based practices and treatments for children with autism (pp. 93-170). NY: Springer. Next --> Incidental Teaching |
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