A Decision-Making Tool for Evaluating and Selecting Prompting Strategies.

Area of Science:

• Behavior Analysis
• Applied Behavior Analysis
• Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Background:

• Prompting and prompt-fading are established methods for teaching clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).
• A gap exists in practical resources to guide behavior analysts in selecting and evaluating prompting strategies for specific clients and skills.
• Effective intervention selection is crucial for optimizing treatment outcomes in IDD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and describe a decision-making tool for selecting and evaluating prompting strategies.
• To outline the necessary steps prior to evaluating clinical outcomes using the tool.
• To provide behavior analysts with a practical resource for intervention selection.

Main Methods:

• A multiple baseline across participants design was employed.
• Graduate students applied the decision-making tool with clients across various skills.
• The study assessed the ease of application and the need for trainer involvement.

Main Results:

• Graduate students successfully learned to apply the decision-making tool with minimal trainer support.
• Social validity data indicated that participants found the tool helpful.
• The tool facilitates the systematic selection and evaluation of prompting strategies.

Conclusions:

• The developed decision-making tool is a practical resource for behavior analysts.
• The tool aids in the efficient selection of appropriate prompting interventions for clients with IDD.
• This contributes to the literature by providing a structured approach to guiding intervention choices in behavior analysis.