Using Transfer Trials to Teach Tacting to Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Transfer trials are a component of discrete-trial training in which the therapist re-presents the initial instruction following a prompted trial to provide an opportunity for the learner to answer independently. Transfer trials may expedite the transfer of stimulus control, are commonly used by practitioners and researchers, and are often recommended as best practice by applied behavior analysis organizations. However, there is little research comparing the efficiency and efficacy of transfer trials to more traditional teaching procedures. The current study evaluated and compared transfer trials to a nontransfer trial procedure for two-component tacting with three children diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Results indicated both procedures were both effective and efficient for teaching two-component tacts for all learners, supporting the inclusion of transfer trials in discrete-trial training.