Abstract
This investigation compared the effectiveness and efficiency (sessions, trials, percentage of errors, direct instructional time through criterion, and incidental information learned) of constant time delay and system of least prompts in teaching students with autism to name numerals. Two sessions were provided each day; one with constant time delay and one with system of least prompts. Two students learned 16 numerals, and one student did not learn any numerals with these two procedures. The parallel treatments design was used to assess the effects of the two instructional strategies. The results indicate that both procedures were effective in raising responding to criterion levels for two subjects. The constant time-delay procedure was more efficient than the system of least prompts procedure in terms of sessions, trials, percentage of errors, and direct instructional time through criterion.
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This investigation was supported by the U.S. Department of Education, grant G008530197. However, the opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the policy of the U. S. Department of Education, and no official endorsement of the U.S. Department of Education should be inferred. The authors are grateful for the assistance provided by Donald Cross, Chairperson, Department of Special Education, University of Kentucky, and to Norman Osborne, Carl Spivey, and Florence Shifflett of Fayette County Public Schools. A more complete description of this study can be obtained from the authors.
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Jones Ault, M., Wolery, M., Gast, D.L. et al. Comparison of response prompting procedures in teaching numeral identification to autistic subjects. J Autism Dev Disord 18, 627–636 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02211880
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02211880