One of the questions I get asked frequently is what are the best ways for teaching waiting skills as a replacement behaviors for challenging behavior. Wait time comes up in a variety of situations.

There are times that we all just have to wait in our own life. We have to wait in long lines, wait for our food at a restaurant, we have to wait for what we asked for, and wait and wait and wait…it seems at times. 

We also need to teach waiting skills for gaining attention. This is a later step in functional communication training for attention-seeking behaviors. Because believe it or not, we can’t attend to this student every minute of the day. Nor does that happen in regular life based on my own experience.

First Steps in Teaching Waiting Skills

Just like we teach everything else…teaching waiting skills begins with breaking it down into small segments, present them systematically, and reinforce the best possible outcome. There…job done, right? Probably not so much…so let me give you an example of what it looks like.

Break down how to wait into teaching steps

Breaking down waiting means starting at a short time to wait. If you are teaching waiting skills as part of a behavioral program of FCT, in particular, you want to start at waiting for a second. I mean literally a second. In order to believe that “Wait” means you will get back to the student with attention or what they asked for–or whatever they are waiting for. So to teach them that, the wait has to be very short period of time.

So, let’s say we want to teach Bruce how to wait for something he has asked for. Bruce has learned to ask for things, but expects everything he has ever asked for immediately. When something isn’t immediately available, he starts to show a variety of challenging behaviors. So, to teach him how to wait for something, his teacher decided to start by having the waiting period start at 1 second.

So the exchange went something like this:

Bruce asks for something.

The teacher says “Wait” and gives him a wait card.

She then IMMEDIATELY turns around and gives him what he requested.

Reinforce increasing time for waiting. 

Next we need to make sure we are reinforcing waiting effectively when teaching waiting skills. Particularly if the student has behavioral issues related to waiting, you want to start small and go slowly up to a long wait. Think about breaking the waiting time down from immediate, to 2 seconds, then 5 seconds, 10 seconds, 20 seconds, etc.

Make sure to give the student whatever he was waiting for at the end of the set amount of time time, though. That assures you are shaping the student’s waiting. The reinforcement of waiting and the consistency of getting what he wants after waiting is what teaches the skill.

Use Visuals

You won’t always need them, but visuals can be helpful in a variety of ways when teaching waiting skills. And they can be particularly helpful if whatever the student wants can’t be delivered immediately.

Use a waiting visual

A wait visual helps student’s like Bruce know that you are coming back to them. It symbolizes that “wait” is different than “no.” As waiting time gets longer, it’s also helpful to remind adults that the student is waiting for a long time.

Make sure that the waiting visual looks different than other visuals (a circle or a triangle) so the student can easily differentiate it.

Use Social Stories 

Social stories won’t be effective for everyone when teaching waiting skills, but sometimes it helps to introduce the concept of waiting through a social story. You will most likely still have to teach the concept. However, some students do well with social stories and explanations of how waiting will work. So it might shorten the time it takes to increase the time the student learns how to wait.

Social stories can be a great tool for teaching students how waiting works. Grab this set with 4 social stories and waiting visuals in my store here.

What if There’s Nothing to Wait for?

There will always be times when you can’t grant a request or attend to a student each time he/she asks. So, what do you do at those times? Try using visuals to teach the student that something is off-limits or not available.

Empty containers.

If the student is asking for something tangible, particularly food, try showing the student an empty container when you ask him to wait. This may help him understand that it isn’t available at that time.

If he can’t have the item at all (e.g., we’re all out of Froot Loops), then don’t tell him to wait, because you won’t be able to get him the thing he wants to reinforce the waiting. Instead, use an empty container or a universal “no” sign to let him know that what he wants isn’t available.

It won’t work perfectly every time, but sometimes it can help explain the stressful situation and reduce the possible behavioral issues.

Want to know more about teaching students to ask for attention and then learn how to wait for attention? Check out this set of social stories in my store to walk you through it.

The post Teaching Waiting Skills Effectively as Replacement Behaviors To Improve Challenging Behavior appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

If you are new to using visual schedules, check out my post on Visual Schedules in the Autism Classroom: Everything You Need to Know to get started.

Lets face it, we all use schedules.  I have a planner and a calendar and a to-do list–those are all types of schedules.  I’m betting if I took away your calendar or planner for a few days, there would be a lot of appointments missed, children’s events missed, and so on.  We rely on our visual supports–we just don’t call them  that.

Typically when someone tells me they don’t want a student to use a visual schedule it is because they feel like it will make the student’s behavior more rigid.  Let’s face it, many times our students’ behavior can be pretty inflexible.  But what gets me is that people think it’s the visual schedule that is making or going to make their behavior rigid.  It isn’t the schedule…it’s the instruction and the way it is used.  In fact, visual schedules can be used to help students be MORE flexible.  You just have to use them effectively with that goal in mind.

It certainly is true that schedules can be pretty rigid and we are as guilty of wanting to stick to them as our students are.  However, if we teach a student to use the schedule independently and effectively, we can teach flexibility within it pretty easily.  We can teach students to be more flexible whether they are using a picture schedule, a photo schedule, an object schedule or a written schedule.  Because it’s not about the form of the schedule, it’s about how we use it.

Tips for Teaching Flexibility WITH Visual Schedules

Teach the Schedule

First, you need the student to be able to use the schedule primarily independently and know how it works. He or she needs to be able to look at the series of visuals/pictures/words and see what is going to happen during the day.  This is because unless he understands how it works, you can’t teach him that the schedule sometimes changes.  In other words, until I know the right way to do something, I can’t modify it effectively.  Imagine if you tried to teach addition to someone if you only knew the rote addition facts but didn’t understand that addition involved combining sets of numbers/materials.  Until you can break it down, you can’t teach variations.

Start With Positive Changes

Once the student understands how a schedule works, then we can start to make changes to it.  Yes, because we are teachers and we know that nothing can ever be easy.  Some changes obviously happen naturally (e.g., no outside recess today because it’s raining).  However, to make it effective, start with a change that is not upsetting (e.g., don’t cancel computer for the day unless you are ready to ride it out).  We want change to not be seen as always something negative.

So perhaps, your first change would be to add something to the schedule that the student likes.  For instance, today we are having a popcorn party instead of afternoon meeting!  This keeps changes from being something that are dreaded because they are typically unwanted (e.g., what kid wants to not have computer because it’s broken?).

Start with Giving Warnings

Clearly we need to get to times when warnings of changes aren’t the norm–because that’s the way life works.  But remember, we are TEACHING flexibility–not expecting it.  The teaching piece means we are breaking it down into small steps and teaching them sequentially just like we teach getting dressed and doing a math problem.  So, at the beginning, let the student know that there is going to be a change.  You might talk about the change when you go over the group schedule. Or you could show it to him when he checks into his schedule first thing in the morning and then review it periodically during the day.  You might have a “change board” in the classroom that you put the group visual like the one below.

Give another warning just before the changed activity happens.  This will help the student remember the change and prepare for it.  Changes are so much easier for all of us if we have time to prepare.

Make the Schedule Reflect the Change

Whatever you do, make sure that the schedule has the visuals on it that go with the new activity.  In other words, make sure it’s accurate.  Otherwise the change will seem deceptive and the student won’t be prepared.  The whole point of the schedule is to help him prepare for the activities of the day and navigate them independently.  If it’s wrong, it doesn’t do that.  I know I get flummoxed when I have something on my schedule at the wrong time–it adds stress beyond the fact that you missed an activity.

Reinforce Success

Even if at first the success is that the meltdown wasn’t that long, reinforce the student for managing the change.  Again, if he just gets through the change but maybe doesn’t participate–that’s a win if he usually has a meltdown.  Take small steps and reinforce getting closer to his accepting that things change.  This is hard work for him–reinforce approximations of what you want to see with tangible items or activities as well as praise.

Make sure to praise specifically for handling the change well.  Use statements like, “I like how well you managed it when we changed the schedules.”  “Change can be hard but you are doing a great job!”  “You are so brave handling that change in the schedule without getting upset!  Go You!”–this one is particularly useful if the student is highly anxious about change.

Try to avoid saying things like, “See change isn’t so bad” as that belittles the student’s feelings of frustration or anxiety.  Instead use supportive statements that reinforce the behavior you want to see.

Fade the Warnings

When he is able to manage the changes with warnings and advance notice with few difficulties, start moving the warning closer in time to when the actual change is going to happen. For instance, instead of telling him about the popcorn party in the morning when he arrives, tell him at lunch time that it will be happening at the end of the day. Then slowly move these times closer to the time of the change.  This will begin to be more like situations in which you don’t have advance notice (e.g., the art teacher just went home with the flu so art class is cancelled).  Over time as you get closer to the change, the warnings will naturally fade out.

Keep Making the Schedule Reflect the Change

Even if you run to the schedule seconds before the change is going to happen, keep changing the schedule to reflect the change that will occur.  This keeps the schedule as something the student can rely on to be accurate.  I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sent someone back to the schedule really quick to switch out the visuals so we could change up the day when needed.  That’s life.  Over time, the student may come to make the change to his schedule himself.  For instance, I have some students who, when they find out about a change in the schedule, cross it off their written schedule and write in the new activity on their own when it’s announced to the class.

Using these steps can help students to accept that changes will happen and that they can manage them. You can combine them with the use of visuals about expectations of behavior or coping strategies, like my calm down strip in my I Can Stay Calm Social Narratives and Visual Supports.

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Change boards are a great way to help students learn to manage changes.

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Grab the Free Change Board

The post Using Visual Schedules to Teach Flexibility to Students with Autism appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

I’ve spent more than 30 years working in and around special education classrooms, and if I had to name one tool that makes the biggest difference for students with autism, visual schedules would be near the top of the list every single time.

Not because they’re flashy or complicated. Because they work. But only if you set them up and teach the students to use them.

In this guide, I’m going to walk you through everything you need to know about visual schedules for the autism classroom — what they are, why they’re so effective, the different types, how to get started, and how to teach your students to actually use them independently. I’ll also link to the deeper resources I’ve written on each topic so you can go further when you’re ready.

Before we get started — if you’re looking for a ready-to-use first-then board you can print and put up today, grab the free first-then visual schedule from my Resource Library. No complicated setup required. Grab the free first-then board in the Free Resource Library.

What Are Visual Schedules — and Why Do They Work for Students with Autism?

A visual schedule is exactly what it sounds like: a schedule that uses objects, drawings, pictures, photos, symbols, or written words to show a student what is happening now, what comes next, and what their day looks like.

That might sound simple. And it is — but the simplicity can be deceiving. As with most things, we still need to teach their use.

For students with autism, the world can feel unpredictable and hard to read. Verbal instructions disappear the moment they’re spoken. Social cues are easy to miss. And transitions — moving from one activity to the next — can trigger anxiety and challenging behavior, not because a student is being difficult, but because they genuinely don’t know what’s coming.

Visual schedules solve that problem by making time and sequence concrete and visible. They stay right there–static where the student can see it.

A student doesn’t have to hold the day in their working memory or trust that things will go the way they always go. They can see it. They can check it. They can refer back to it when they feel uncertain.

From a behavioral standpoint, this is huge. Predictability reduces anxiety. Reduced anxiety means fewer behavior challenges. And when students can follow a schedule independently, they’re building the kind of self-management skills that carry far beyond the classroom.

Research consistently supports the use of visual schedules for autistic students — and after three decades of seeing them in action, I’m a believer that they are an amazing tool.

Types of Visual Schedules for the Autism Classroom

One of the most common questions I get is: “Which type of visual schedule should I use?” The honest answer is that it depends on your student — their communication level, their age, their degree of independence, and what you’re scheduling.

Here’s a quick overview of the main types, with links to the full breakdowns for each:

First-Then Boards

The simplest form of visual schedule. A first-then board shows a student one thing they need to do first, and one thing that comes after (usually something motivating). It’s a great starting point for students who are just learning to use schedules, or for managing a single challenging transition.

For a deep look at how to make and use them: Visual Schedule Series: First-Then Boards — and grab the free printable while you’re there.

Object Schedules

For students who are pre-symbolic or early communicators, object schedules use actual objects — or miniature versions of them — to represent activities. A small cup means snack time. A piece of a puzzle means work time.

These are particularly effective for students who aren’t yet reading pictures or symbols consistently. Object schedules are often used for students with visual impairments as well, but then are often used a bit differently for more tactile elements.

More on this in: How to Make and Use Object Schedules

Picture and Photo Schedules

These use images — either clip art, illustrations, symbols, or actual photographs — to represent activities. They’re one of the most common types in autism classrooms because they work well across a wide range of learners. Photos of your actual classroom and materials can be especially effective since they’re concrete and familiar.

Written Schedules

For students who read, a written schedule can be just as effective as a picture-based one — and easier to update quickly. These work particularly well for older students and can help bridge toward the kinds of planners and to-do lists they’ll use as adults.

Mini-Schedules

Mini-schedules (sometimes called task analyses or “schedules within a schedule”) break a single activity down into its steps. Instead of just knowing they have “work time” next, a student can see the four steps involved in their work task. These are incredibly useful for building independence during routines.

I’ve written a whole series on these — start here: Mini-Schedules for Routine Tasks

Individual Full-Day Schedules

An individual schedule shows a specific student their entire day from start to finish. They could be object, picture or written schedules.

These are the backbone of a well-structured autism classroom because they give students the full picture — reducing anxiety about what’s coming and helping with transitions throughout the day.

See: Individual Visual Schedules for Students With Autism — Part 1

Group Schedules

A group schedule shows the whole class what’s happening — displayed where everyone can see it. It works alongside individual schedules, not instead of them. Students can cross-reference their personal schedule with the class schedule, which supports flexibility and group awareness.

Why I love them: 5 Reasons to Use Group Schedules in Your Special Education Classroom

How to Choose the Right Type of Visual Schedule for Your Student

The type of schedule that works best depends on a few key factors: Where is your student in terms of symbolic understanding? Can they match objects to pictures? Do they read? How much of the day do you need to schedule — some students might use a first-then for each transition while others just need a center schedule (mini schedule) and the group schedule for the day.

A student who’s just learning to follow any kind of schedule might start with a first-then board and works up from there. (Don’t worry, there are ways to keep that from being a mass of individual visuals.)

A student who reads and has solid daily living skills might do well with a written checklist. Most students in a self-contained autism classroom land somewhere in between — picture or photo schedules with symbols.

I broke this down in much more detail here: What Kind of Visual Schedule Do I Need? — it walks through the decision-making process step by step.

And if you want to understand the research and reasoning behind why different formats work for different students, the 7 reasons post is worth a read: Visual Schedules: 7 Reasons Why We Use and Love Them

How to Set Up Visual Schedules in Your Classroom

Here’s the basic process I walk through when setting up visual schedules — whether it’s the first week of school or mid-year for a new student:

• Choose the format that matches your student’s level (see above).
• Gather or create your visuals — photos, symbols, or words. Keep them simple and consistent.
• Set up the physical schedule where the student can access it easily — at their eye level, in a consistent location.
• Introduce the schedule explicitly. Don’t assume students will figure out how to use it on their own. Teach it like you’d teach any other skill.
• Prompt students to check and use their schedule throughout the day, then fade those prompts over time.

Sometimes you have to start with a type of schedule to determine what works best for a student. I remember an elementary student who struggled when we gave him the full day schedule on the wall with check-in stations. When we switched him to a first-then schedule (on a notebook with the daily schedule inside), and he only had to see what happened now and next, his whole face lit up. Because he got it and it made sense to him.

I can’t tell you the number of classrooms I’ve been in where the teacher was told to use visual schedules. But no one bothered to really work out the actual set of events over time for the day (i.e., the events of the schedule).

Your students won’t benefit from a visual schedule if the events of the day are unorganized and keep changing. First, you have to have an established classroom schedule. To learn more about how to create the classroom schedule, check out How to Set Up the Schedule in Your Special Education Classroom.

One thing I can’t emphasize enough: the schedule only works if students actually use it. That means teaching them to check it, follow it, and come back to it — not just having it hanging on the wall.

Teaching Students to Use Their Visual Schedule Independently

Getting a visual schedule up on the wall is the easy part. The goal — the thing that actually changes outcomes — is teaching students to use their schedule independently, without needing a teacher or para to prompt them through every transition.

This takes time and deliberate instruction. You’ll likely start with full physical prompting (hand-over-hand), gradually fade to a point or visual prompt, and then fade to no prompt at all. Some students get there quickly. Others need months of consistent practice. Both are normal.

A few things that tend to speed up the process: keeping the schedule in a consistent location, making sure students actively manipulate it (moving a clip, crossing off items), and making sure the schedule is accurate — if you say “gym” and gym gets canceled, update the schedule before the student finds out on their own.

Using check-in boards for students to carry and match their visuals (or words) to are also a system that will make schedules a tangible process for them. For students who aren’t consistently matching yet, try this task-based practice activity to build that skill: How to Improve Visual Schedule Use with This Independent Work Task

What About Schedule Changes?

This is where a lot of teachers feel stuck — and I get it. You’ve worked hard to create a predictable routine, and now there’s an assembly, a substitute, a fire drill. Your student who finally had the schedule down is suddenly dysregulated, and you’re managing the fallout.

This often causes people to think that visual schedules cause students with autism to be rigid. The reality is just the opposite. One of the characteristics of autism is rigidity and difficulty with change. But don’t worry, schedules can actually help with that.

Here’s the thing: flexibility is a skill, and it has to be taught. The goal isn’t a schedule that never changes — it’s a student who can handle changes when they happen.

I wrote a full post on exactly how to do this: Teaching Flexibility with Visual Schedules — it walks through practical strategies for introducing and managing schedule changes in a way that builds resilience rather than just hoping for the best.

Free Visual Schedule Resources

If you’re looking for ready-to-use visual schedule materials you can print and put up without spending hours making your own, I have you covered.

SIGN UP FOR FREE TIPS EACH WEEK IN YOUR INBOX AND GRAB A FREE SET OF FIRST-THEN BOARDS FROM THE RESOURCE LIBRARY

This first-then download is expanded from the version available in my TpT Store. It includes boards in different sizes, with less color, and in black and white. And you are welcome to send them home to parents of students on your caseload.

Grab them from the Free Resource Library. Click below to navigate or join the free library.

Grab the Free First-Then

The free first-then board printable in my Resource Library is one of the most-downloaded resources on this site — and for good reason. It’s clean, classroom-tested, and works for a wide range of learners.

Grab the free first-then board in the Free Resource Library.

And if you’re looking for a full classroom visual schedule pack — including individual schedules, group schedules, and behavior visuals — you can find that in the shop as well.

Frequently Asked Questions About Visual Schedules for Autism

Ready to Get Started?

Visual schedules aren’t a magic fix — but they’re one of the most reliably effective tools I know of for supporting students with autism in the classroom. The key is matching the right type to the right student, teaching the skill of using it, and staying consistent.

Start simple. A first-then board and five minutes of intentional teaching goes a long way.

And if you want a ready-made starting point, the free first-then board printable is waiting for you in the Free Resource Library.

Looking for ready-made schedules to use in your classroom? Grab the visual supports designed specific for ages in the shop or on TpT.

SIGN UP FOR FREE TIPS EACH WEEK IN YOUR INBOX AND GRAB A FREE SET OF FIRST-THEN BOARDS FROM THE RESOURCE LIBRARY

This first-then download is expanded from the version available in my TpT Store. It includes boards in different sizes, with less color, and in black and white. And you are welcome to send them home to parents of students on your caseload.

Grab them from the Free Resource Library. Click below to navigate or join the free library.

Grab the Free First-Then

The post Visual Schedules for the Autism Classroom: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

Summary:
This post explains how to use a classroom token system based on ABA principles to reinforce appropriate behavior in special education. You’ll learn what token economies are in applied behavior analysis, the critical steps for setting them up effectively, different types of classroom token systems you can use, and important warnings about common mistakes. The focus is on individualizing systems so every student can be successful.

What Is a Classroom Token System in ABA?

In applied behavior analysis, a classroom token system (also called a token economy) is a system where students earn tokens for following rules or displaying target behaviors. Each student may have their own point sheet or token board and can progress at their own rate.

A token economy (or system) is based the principle of positive reinforcement. You can learn more about positive reinforcement in this post.

With a token system, the tokens themselves become concrete representations of the reinforcer. This is a key ABA principle—the tokens are reinforcing because they lead to something bigger that the student wants and that has a history of increasing the behavior that it follows. Thus, positive reinforcement.

Reinforcers in a classroom token system can be standard (like a treasure chest everyone picks from) or individualized. You might have students shopping from individual catalogs of activities they can buy for certain amounts of tokens.

Token systems are an effective tool for behavioral support as part of an individual behavior plan or for keep classroom behavior on track. They are considered an evidence-based practice as part of the Reinforcement category according to the National Clearinghouse on Autism Evidence & Practice. But it is critical that we are using them in evidence-based manner for them to be effective.

Why Individualization Matters in Token Systems

One of the core principles of applied behavior analysis is individualization. The number of tokens students need to earn and the reinforcer they are earning must be individualized. We need to make sure that every student wins.

What works for one student won’t necessarily work for another. The same classroom token system may not work with every student, making individualization key. The best way to determine is this through trial-and-error and looking at your data to determine if the system is working.

Step 1: Choose and Define Your Target Behavior

First, make sure you are reinforcing a specific behavior or specific behaviors. If you’re not reinforcing something specific, it’s really going to become about how much you notice the student or attend to them, rather than the focus being on their behavior.

For example, if the behavior you are wanting to increase is being staying in his seat at specific times, you can provide the token when you observe that behavior at the time it occurs.

On the other hand, if you are trying to keep the student from blurting out answers in discussions, that’s a behavior you want to decrease (not increase). So you need to think about what you want him to do instead. For instance, you could give a token each time the student raises their hand and waits to be called on. Rather than trying to reinforce the absence of a behavior (i.e., NOT blurting out), you are reinforcing a behavior you can see and that is well defined.

This is a fundamental principle of applied behavior analysis—operationally define the behavior. Make sure the student knows what it is and what it looks like. You can introduce the behavior in a social story or have it included in the visual classroom rules. If your behavior is a difficult to understand (e.g., being on-task), you could take a video of the student being on task and show it to them.

Demonstrate it, practice it, and have the student show it to you. Target behaviors for your classroom token system might be your positively stated classroom rules for the whole class, or they might be individual behaviors for an individual student.

Step 2: Select Your Classroom Token System Format

You can use many different types of classroom token system formats depending on your student’s needs. It might be an economy where they’re actually earning money and can buy things with it. Or it might be a token board where they can see how many tokens they’re earning.

Preschoolers might earn stickers. High school students might earn quarters, coins, or even a paycheck—even if they don’t know how to make change.

The choice of system depends on the student’s learning style, their strengths, their age, their developmental abilities, and how you’re going to use the system in your classroom. For instance, you might need a portable classroom token system that travels with the student throughout the day.

Step 3: Design How Students Track Their Tokens

Students need a way to determine how many tokens they’ve earned and how many they have left. Some students can keep track of their earnings on paper.

Some may need a visual representation of how many are left by seeing how many open spaces still need to be filled. Some may keep their tokens in a bank, while others may need token strips.

Portable systems can be especially helpful for classroom token systems. Thumbs up systems work well for elementary kids because if you don’t have a token with you, you can say you’ll give them a thumbs up when you get back. Students will always remind you.

Step 4: Determine Your Reinforcers

In ABA, reinforcement is what increases behavior. Your reinforcers need to be highly motivating. You can do an assessment to try to figure out what motivates each student.

It’s best if students have a choice because it makes reinforcers more motivating and keeps them fresh. Having options prevents reinforcers from becoming stale.

Sometimes the most powerful reinforcer isn’t what you’d expect. One student’s classroom token system wasn’t working for him using the treasure chest as a reinforcer. His behavior was all attention-seeking. So, instead of the Treasure Chest, when he earned all his tokens, the whole class would stop and sing “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow”. That was more powerful than any treasure box prize. For him, social reinforcement was more reinforcing than tangible reinforcers.

Step 5: Choose the Right Number of Tokens

Take a baseline of the behaviors you’re tracking to see how many tokens the student would earn over three days or so. Then choose a number that’s slightly lower than that to start.

Gradually you can raise the requirement over time. If you’re using a visual representation like a token board, you can leave some tokens on so the student only has one more to get before being reinforced. Then when they get that one, you can drop off two and slowly move it back. This also means you can use the same type of token board across the classroom even though some students are not yet earning all the tokens on the board yet.

Step 6: Set Your Prices

Determine how many tokens students need for different reinforcers. It’s helpful to have prices vary based on the student’s preference.

Things the student loves should have a higher price. Things that are great but not their favorite can be priced lower.

Some teachers have developed auctions for their classroom token system so students can bid on items using their money. This adds another dimension to the system.

Step 7: Make Sure Students Win

This is critical for your classroom token system: the student must be able to win. Set your earning requirement low enough that the student is successful at the beginning.

If a student never comes into contact with the reinforcer, the classroom token system itself will be meaningless. In ABA terms, the tokens won’t become conditioned reinforcers if they never lead to actual reinforcement.

Over time you can increase the amount required, but right now you want them to win. You want it to be easy.

Step 8: Take Data on Progress and Evaluate If The System is Working

If you defined your behaviors clearly, conducted good reinforcer assessments, and accurately determined how many tokens a student should earn, you should see an increase in the behavior or behaviors you are reinforcing. BUT, it’s important to take data to make sure it is working the way you want.

For example, for the student who we sang “For He’s a Jolly-Good Fellow” to, we realized his token board wasn’t working when he was earning just the treasure chest. His data showed us his on-task behavior wasn’t improving. In fact it was still tanking when he had an adult to gain attention from. The data told us that we needed to search for a different system or a different reinforcer to make it work. That’s how we landed on the singing from the whole class…when we thought about the function of off-task behaviors.

Real Examples of Classroom Token Systems

Classroom token systems based on applied behavior analysis work for a wide variety of students. You might use a daily sticker chart where a student earns stickers for asking for help and trying new things.

You could use a point system where a student has different classes listed and earns points for behaviors like “I’ll keep my hands to myself” and “I’ll control my voice.” They get points for different levels, and at different numbers of points they can turn them in for different levels of reinforcers.

Punch-out cards are another classroom token system option. Students color in pictures (like turtles) or your use a hole punch to punch a whole on a dot. And students have to earn a certain number of pictures or hole-punches before getting reinforced.

Even preschools can use classroom token systems. Students might earn tokens on their individual boards and then save or spend their tokens on different activities that have different prices. This approach also works on counting skills as they exchange their tokens.

When to Take Away Tokens (and When Not To)

Response cost is an ABA procedure where you fine students or take away tokens. Sometimes that can be a very powerful consequence. Students might lose non-contingent reinforcers or participate in a group contingency.

But for most students, you’re going to want individualized approaches in your classroom token system. Response cost is a punishment procedure in applied behavior analysis, so you want to use it very carefully.

Make sure the student truly understands why they’re losing tokens and that the cost doesn’t outweigh the benefit. You don’t want to take more away than you’re giving. Again, if students are always in the hole, why bother to try?

Also, be careful that your student truly understands how response cost works. Recognize that sometimes it’s going to set the student off when you take something away.

There are some situations in which response cost makes sense in a classroom token system and some situations in which it doesn’t. It’s just important to recognize that issue before implementing it.

A classroom token system based on applied behavior analysis principles can be a powerful tool when you set it up thoughtfully and individualize it for each student. Start with clear target behaviors, make sure students can win, and adjust as needed to keep the system working effectively.

By the way, this blog post came directly from a training in the Special Educator Academy! Want to get more training that is practical and meaningful for your classroom?

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The post Classroom Token System: 8 ABA Steps to Reinforce Appropriate Behavior appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

Why IEP Mastery Criteria Matters More Than You Think

IEP mastery criteria is the unsung hero (or dastardly villain) in IEP writing. We don’t think about it nearly as much as we probably should. And there are so many ways it can help us or hurt us down the road as we’re actually trying to teach the skills from the IEP.

It’s so easy to have a standard, like slap on 80% or 4/5 on the end of the goal and call it done. But the mastery level can be one of the biggest areas of disagreement when determination of mastery comes around. That’s because we sometimes write IEP mastery criteria for goals in a way that means different things to different participants.

IEP mastery criteria is also critical when you create your system of data collection. There’s nothing worse than sitting down to analyze your data, only to discover it doesn’t match the way the mastery criteria was written.

I’ve taken data for many years of lots of students’ where I wrote the goal and I didn’t, so I’ll be the first to tell you that many of these lessons were learned the hard way. You can read more about writing IEP goals here.

1. Match Mastery Criteria to Your Type of Skill

The first consideration in IEP mastery criteria is the type of skill the goal is addressing. Different skills lend themselves to different types of mastery. And even within the subject or area of the skill, you could have different needs for mastery.

Reading

Reading lends itself to accuracy of comprehension at different grade levels. But it also needs to focus on fluency of words per minute and accuracy of words read. So depending on the focus of the goal, you could be writing percent accuracy (e.g., percent of comprehension questions correct) or words per minute in a second-grade paragraph. And then it’s important to remember that the grade level or difficulty of the work may need to be specified in the goal as well.

Math

Math lends itself to accuracy (e.g., 90% correct) in most situations. But sometimes we need to think about fluency (e.g., x problems per minute) with math facts. And again, in both situations, we need to specify in the goal the level of work they are completing at that accuracy or rate. That becomes part of the mastery.

Challenging Behavior

Challenging behavior is often measured by frequency over time (e.g., no more than 1 instance of hitting adults per week). However, if I was measuring crying, I might need to have mastery as duration. Because crying for 60 minutes one time a day (frequency=1) is more significant than crying 10 minutes each time for 3 times a day (frequency=3).

And if the problem was the severity of the behavior, we would need different measures like rating scales.

2. Consider the Importance of the Skill

You have to choose how high you set your IEP mastery criteria based on how important mastery of the skill is to the student. The importance of the skill has several facets–such as how pivotal it is to learning, how important it is the to the IEP team and/or student, etc. We need to think about the importance of the skill to later learning and to safety and well-being.

Foundational Skills

Is it a basic skill that’s foundational to later skills? For instance, reading decoding, fluency, and comprehension are pivotal skills in being able to read for knowledge later. Because of that, early reading goals that focus on basic reading skills need to have higher levels of mastery.

Mastering decoding at 60% is going to be problematic as the student’s independent reading becomes a foundation for learning new material.

Similarly, if it’s following simple directions, that’s a skill we use throughout all of our teaching, so not mastering that with a good amount of accuracy and fluency is going to hinder later learning.

Safety and Well-Being

Skills that involve safety or well-being require higher levels of mastery. For instance, crossing the street needs to be mastered at 100%. If a student masters it at 80%, he has a 20% chance of not checking and being hit by a car.

Let’s say we’re writing a goal for lab safety in chemistry. Having a student using a bunsen burner safely isn’t something that we could have at 60% accuracy.

3. Keep It Age-Relevant

You have to set your IEP mastery criteria based on whether it’s meaningful for the student’s age. For instance, saying that a student will be on-task in a group situation 100% of the time is probably not realistic for most ages. We all are distracted at times.

Similarly, if a typical peer responds to questions with correct answers 70% of the time, it’s not reasonable for a child with an IEP to do it at 90%. Pay attention to how often behaviors occur in typical students and use that as your guide.

This becomes critical to think about with behavior. If you are measuring how well a student follows directions the first time they are given, pick a neurotypical peer of the same age and measure how well they would do in similar situations. Then use that as your criteria.

4. Think About How You’ll Measure the Skill

Educators often lock themselves into a really complex data system because of how the IEP mastery criteria for the goal is written. Think about how you will measure the skill BEFORE you write the goal or you will regret it.

I cannot tell you how many times I’ve written a goal and then had to throw it out the first time we tried to take data….because we didn’t think about whether someone could pay attention enough during an activity to take the data, or there was no way we could run the activity and count every repetitive phrase.

The Problem

Sometimes the problem is how we measure the goal; and sometimes it’s about having a reasonable way to take the data that gets the information we need without spending all our time looking at a clipboard.

For instance, you’re writing a goal to focus on a student improving initiating communication or social interaction. You write a goal that he will initiate a social interaction with a peer on 4/5 opportunities. But when you go to collect data, you realize that you don’t know what an opportunity to initiate that he didn’t take looks like.

A ratio measure or a percentage means that 1. You have to monitor the behavior for the whole time to count opportunities as well as performance. And 2. It has to be something for which you can observe the opportunities.

The Solution

First, figure out your baseline of how many times he currently initiates during an activity like recess. Let’s say it’s between 1 and 2 times in a 15-minute recess time. Then write the goal as: “Stew Dent will initiate an interaction with a peer at recess 3 times during a 15-minute period.”

This way you only need to count the number of times he initiates and not how many “opportunities” he has (that you can’t determine anyway). It streamlines your data and makes it more meaningful. Check out this post for more ways to take IEP data.

Build in Conditions of Measurement

Make sure you’re writing in conditions of data collection in your IEP mastery criteria. For instance, counting every verbalization a student makes throughout the day is going to be difficult and may result in unreliable data. So if you’re planning to assess the skill by taking a weekly sample or probe data, indicate that in your level of mastery.

Instead of writing that he will do it 4/5 days (which means taking data every day), you might write that he will demonstrate the skill on 4/5 opportunities on twice-weekly samples collected over a period of 3 weeks. Then you take a sample twice a week and use that data.

5. Align With Your Instructional Steps

Make sure you’re thinking about your instructional steps—the order in which you’re going to teach the skill—before you write the goal. This is one I learned most recently and it’s been a game-changer.

The Problem

Let’s say you’re teaching one-step directions by introducing 1 direction, then a second direction, and then randomizing them. Then introducing a third direction and randomizing all of them. If you write your objectives based on prompting levels, you may have only introduced 2-3 directions by the time you need to report progress. So you’d have to test the student on directions that haven’t even been introduced.

The Better Way

Write the goal with objectives like this:

• GOAL: S. will follow 10 one-step directions independently on 8/10 opportunities.
  • S. will follow 2 one-step directions independently on 9/10 opportunities.
  • S. will follow 5 one-step directions independently on 9/10 opportunities.
  • S. will follow 8 one-step directions independently on 9/10 opportunities.

That way if you write the goal by prompt level, you might not be using that prompt but only have learned 3 one-step directions. Also, you don’t run into issues with it clashing with the way you’re going to teach the skill.

6. Write Practical Mastery Criteria

Make sure to write your IEP mastery criteria so it’s practical to measure. If you have a student working on walking independently, use criteria like “John will walk to the bathroom from his work station independently.” This is much easier to implement than “John will ambulate for 25 feet independently.”

Please don’t make me measure the distance to see whether the skill was just demonstrated. Pick practical elements of the environment that you can use to measure and build them into the criteria.

Similarly, create your mastery criteria so it’s practical given the student’s previous learning and performance. So while it’s tempting to say 2nd grade reader will be on the the fifth grade level by then end of the year…if last year he only learned 30 sightwords for the whole year, that goal is not meaningful.

7. Include a Time Frame for the IEP Mastery Criteria

You want to make sure you’re including a time frame in your mastery criteria. Here’s why this matters so much.

I once was working with a student who was making great progress. But when we sat down with the parent for a quarterly meeting, the teacher averaged all the data for the 9 weeks together. She was averaging his performance when we started teaching the skill with his performance at the end when he had met mastery criteria. Essentially she was averaging the pre-test with the post-test, which washed out his performance increases.

Mom insisted that it had to be an average of all the data across the IEP because of the way we had written the goals (without a time frame).

How I Write It Now

“Jimmy will follow a 1-step direction presented in a small group independently on 90% of the trials over a 2-week period.”

This goal tells us we’re going to use the data from a 2-week period and he needs to independently follow the direction on 90% of the opportunities when accumulated over that time. I don’t need 9 weeks of data. The 2-week period just keeps rolling until mastery is achieved.

This also assures that the mastery of the skill wasn’t a 1-time thing and that the student is likely to maintain the skill longer.

8. Make Mastery Criteria Meaningful

We need to make sure our mastery levels mean something. Let’s assume you expect that a student will not be able to master a skill at 75%, and you’ve determined that typical students would display the skill at that level. In this situation, I strongly suggest you reduce the skill (change to an easier skill) rather than the mastery.

Mastering something at 50% is not really meaningful—it’s hit or miss. So instead, add prompts or have them master a subset of steps rather than lessening the level of mastery. Change the goal instead.

Most of the time I would rather make the goal easier and master it more strongly so we can move on to more advanced skills.

9. Discuss IEP Mastery Criteria With Your Team

It’s always a good idea to have a discussion with the IEP team about the IEP mastery criteria. Have those discussions early on so you don’t run into issues down the road. You don’t always know how interpretable things are until you get feedback from others.

You want to make sure all team members believe the goal is appropriately and challenging but attainable. These conversations up front can save you from disagreements later when it’s time to determine if a goal has been mastered.

Ready to Write Better IEP Goals?

I hope these 9 tips help you write IEP mastery criteria that make data collection easier and keep your team on the same page. Remember, the key is thinking through how you’ll teach and measure the skill before you finalize that goal.

Looking for more help with IEP goals? Come join us in the Special Educator Academy with a free trial. We have a whole IEP writing bootcamp with tons of tools to help you write measureable goals. And we have an IEP goal bank you can use to get ideas.

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The post Make IEP Review Easier With These 9 Criteria for Determining IEP Mastery Criteria appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

The best part? You can use one set of file folder activities and progress students through multiple skill levels without starting from scratch each time.

Summary:
This post explains how to use errorless learning activities (e.g., a file folder activity) across three distinct skill levels. You’ll learn how to set up folders for beginning independent work with just one sorting option, progress to teaching discrimination skills through direct instruction, and finally move to independent practice for maintenance. Includes practical strategies for implementation and when to move between levels.

What Makes File Folders Perfect Errorless Learning Activities?

File folders offer a structured, predictable format that’s ideal for errorless teaching. The materials are self-contained, the task is clearly defined, and you can easily adapt them to different skill levels without creating entirely new activities.

Plus, file folders are portable and can be used across different settings—at a table during direct instruction, in an independent work system, or as part of work tasks in a para-run station. They’re one of those tools that just make differentiation easier.

The 3 Skill Levels: From Single Option to Independent Practice of Discrimination

Here’s how to take one file folder activity and use it across three distinct skill levels. Each level represents a different instructional purpose, from building independence skills to teaching discrimination to maintaining mastery.

Level 1: Single Option for Early Independence

At Level 1, you’re not teaching discrimination yet. You’re using errorless learning activities. In other words, you’re building the fundamental skill of completing an independent work task. The student just needs to know “put the pictures on the velcro.”

How to set it up:

Take your file folder and cover one of the sorting options completely. Or create a separate folder with only one choice visible. For instance, if you have a same/different folder, you would only show the “same” side.

The student’s job is simple: pick up the cards and put them on the available velcro spots. Every card goes in the same place. There’s no decision-making required, which means the student can be successful even with limited skills.

Why this matters:

Many of our students struggle with independent work systems. They need to build the stamina and understanding that “I can complete a task without constant adult support.” This level gives them that experience without the cognitive demand of making choices.

Example with sorting activities:

Using a same/different sorting folder, you would cover or remove the “different” side entirely. All the picture cards go onto the “same” section. The student doesn’t need to look at the pictures or make any decisions—they’re just practicing the motor task of completing the folder.

This setup works perfectly in an independent work system or a structured work task rotation. The student can be successful without adult support, which builds confidence and work completion skills.

Level 2: Teaching Discrimination with Direct Instruction

Once the student can reliably complete single-option folders independently, it’s time to teach the actual discrimination skill. This is where the instructional work happens, and you’ll use direct teaching strategies.

How to set it up:

Now both sorting options are visible on the file folder. You’ll work one-on-one with the student using discrete trial teaching, errorless learning strategies, and/or other direct instruction approaches.

This is teaching time, not independent practice time. You’re sitting with the student, presenting cards systematically, and using errorless learning strategies to teach the discrimination.

Instructional strategies to use:

Start by teaching the student to sort just one type first. For same/different, you might present only “same” cards and teach them to put those on the correct side. Once they’ve mastered that, introduce “different” cards.

You can use immediate prompting (pointing to the correct location before they place the card) or use a most-to-least prompting hierarchy. The key is that you’re actively teaching and providing feedback on every trial.

Example with sorting activities:

With the quantity sorting task, you might start by teaching “full” / “empty” since those are visually very different. Present a card, provide a prompt if needed, give specific feedback (“Yes, that’s full!”), and move to the next trial.

You’re collecting data on their accuracy, adjusting your prompting based on their responses, and systematically teaching them to discriminate between the two options. This might take several sessions or even weeks depending on the complexity of the discrimination.

Taking data during Level 2:

Track how many trials they complete correctly with and without prompts. This data tells you when they’re ready to move to Level 3. You’re looking for consistent accuracy (usually 80-90% or higher) across multiple sessions.

Level 3: Independent Work for Practice and Maintenance

Level 3 is where the file folder moves into your independent work system for practice and maintenance. The student has learned the skill during direct instruction, and now they need opportunities to practice it without constant adult support.

How to set it up:

The file folder looks exactly like it did in Level 2—both sorting options are visible. But now instead of sitting with the student for instruction, you’re giving them the folder to complete on their own.

This might be in an independent work bin, part of a task rotation, or during a structured independent work period. The student completes the entire folder without prompts or assistance.

Your role at Level 3:

You’re checking for accuracy after completion and providing reinforcement for correct work. If you notice consistent errors, you might need to move back to Level 2 for a quick refresher session.

Example with sorting activities:

The student gets their sorting file folder in their independent work basket. They complete all the cards, sorting them into the two categories. When finished, they either self-check or bring it to you for review.

At this level, the goal is fluency and maintenance. The student practices the skill they’ve learned, building automaticity and keeping the skill sharp.

When to Move Between Levels

So how do you know when it’s time to move from one level to the next? Here are some guidelines that work well.

Moving from Level 1 to Level 2:

When the student can consistently complete single-option folders (i.e., errorless learning activities) independently for several days in a row, they’re ready for discrimination training. Look for the ability to complete the folder with 100% accuracy and that the student has mastered the prerequisite skills of learning readiness (e.g., following directions).

Moving from Level 2 to Level 3:

Once the student demonstrates 80-90% accuracy or higher across 3-5 consecutive direct instruction sessions, they’re ready for independent practice. At this point, they understand the discrimination and just need practice to build fluency.

Moving back a level:

If a student’s accuracy drops significantly in Level 3 independent work (below 70-80%), bring the folder back to Level 2 for re-teaching. This isn’t failure—sometimes skills need more direct instruction time before they’re ready for independence.

Also watch for signs of prompt dependency. If a student won’t attempt a Level 3 folder without looking at you first, they might need more practice at Level 2 with systematic prompt fading before moving to full independence.

Real Example: Same/Different Sorting Across 3 Levels

Let me walk you through a concrete example using a same/different sorting folder from this set of file folder activities.

Level 1 setup:

Create the folder that only shows the “same” category. You can do this by covering the “different” side with construction paper or by making a separate single-option folder. Put out picture cards—some that match and some that don’t—but all of them go onto the single visible option.

Marcus, a student just learning to work independently, gets this folder in his work bin. His job is to put all the cards on the velcro. He doesn’t need to look at the pictures or make decisions. He’s practicing work completion and building independence skills.

After two weeks, Marcus reliably completes these single-option folders every day without adult support. He’s ready for Level 2.

Level 2 setup:

Now both “same” and “different” sides are visible. You sit with Marcus for 10-15 minutes daily using discrete trial instruction alone or in small group. You present cards one at a time with potential matches on the table of 3-5 cards. Then say, “Show me same” or “Where does this go?”

Initially, you point to the correct location before he places each card (errorless learning). Over several sessions, you fade your prompts as he becomes more accurate. You’re collecting data on every trial.

After three weeks of direct instruction, Marcus is sorting with 90% accuracy with minimal prompting. He’s ready for Level 3.

Level 3 setup:

The same/different folder goes into Marcus’s independent work rotation. He completes it on his own during independent work time, and you check it when he’s finished. He’s maintaining the skill he learned during instruction.

Meanwhile, you might start a new folder (like quantity sorting) at Level 2 to teach the next discrimination skill.

Setting Up Your Folders for Success

Here’s the practical part: How do you actually manage this system with multiple students at different levels?

Organization tips:

Keep Level 1 (errorless learning activities) folders in a separate bin or marked with a colored dot. These are your “independence building” folders that have only one sorting option. At first you might store them in a para-run center area. Then, once students pass level 1 with the errorless folders, you could put them in their independent work system to practice while you are teaching the discriminations in Level 2.

Store Level 2 folders near your direct instruction area. These folders are actively being taught and need adult support, so keep them where you do your one-on-one or small group teaching.

Once Level 2 is mastered, you can move the folders to the independent work area. These are ready for this student’s independent work bins at Level 3. These are the “practicing and maintaining” folders that students can do without help.

For paraprofessionals and staff:

Create a simple key or guide explaining the three levels. Staff need to know that Level 1 (errorless learning activities) folders go to students working on independence (no teaching required), Level 2 folders are for direct instruction time only, and Level 3 folders are for checking after independent completion.

Or better yet use my organizational toolkit for independent work and add them to the master list and check off the skill as mastered.

Tracking progress:

Typically you’ll use a discrete trial type of form to track data while you are teaching, like the one below. For independent work, don’t forget to put the folders on the students’ mastered list. See this post for more on how I organize materials for independent work.

Making Multiple Skills Work Simultaneously

The beauty of this system is that one student can be at different levels for different skills. Marcus might be at Level 3 for same/different while still at Level 1 for quantity sorting.

This is where having multiple sorting activities in one set becomes invaluable. You can differentiate both by instructional level and by content difficulty without creating entirely new materials.

A student masters same/different discrimination? Move that folder to Level 3 for independent work and maintenance, and start teaching some/none sorting at Level 2. As they progress, you have multiple sorting concepts ready to teach at each level.

Common Questions About This Using Errorless Learning Activities

“How long should a student stay at each level?”

It varies by student and skill complexity. Some students might spend 2-3 weeks at Level 1 building independence skills. Others might be ready to move to Level 2 after just a few days. Let the data guide you.

“Can I skip Level 1 if my student already works independently?”

Absolutely. If a student already has solid independent work skills, start them at Level 2 for direct instruction. Level 1 is specifically for students who are still learning to complete tasks without constant adult support.

“What if accuracy drops in Level 3?”

Move back to Level 2 for re-teaching. Sometimes students need more direct instruction time before a skill is truly independent. That’s completely normal and not a sign of failure.

Looking for Ready-to-Use Activities?

If you want to implement this system without creating everything from scratch, these file folder activities include multiple sorting tasks at different difficulty levels. You can use them across all three instructional levels. Or grab them from my TpT Store here: Prepositions File Folders and Quantity File Folders.

The key is having materials that are flexible enough to work at different stages of learning—from building independence to teaching discrimination to maintaining mastery. One set of folders, three levels of instruction, endless differentiation possibilities.

The post Errorless Learning Activities: How to Progress One File Folder Through 3 Skill Levels appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

Sometimes it happens because we are presenting materials in a way that gives cues we don’t realize; sometimes because we are missing relevant cues (like those I describe below); and sometimes because we are in a hurry and aren’t paying enough attention. Whatever the reason, I’ve got some signs for you to look for in your students’ performance and ways to overcome it.

What Is Prompt Dependency and Why Does It Matter?

Let me start by saying that prompt dependency is very poorly named. Because the problem actually lies with us, as the teacher, not with a failure by the student.

Prompt dependency happens when students become dependent on the teacher’s response or material presentation rather than learning the actual discrimination you’re teaching.

We call it “prompt dependency,” but really the problem lies with us figuring out our instruction rather than the student. They aren’t learning the discriminations you’re trying to teach. Instead of learning to read the sight words you’re presenting, they’re learning to watch your reaction and wait for the prompt. They are attending to the wrong cues.

Students with autism in particular are susceptible to prompt dependency because of their difficulty screening out stimuli. They may attend to your body language, your tone, or your proximity rather than the actual teaching materials.

Sign #1: Your Data Shows Tons of Prompting

If you’re seeing a ton of prompting in your data session after session, that’s a good sign you may be dealing with prompt dependency. Look at your discrete trial training data (or any instructional data) over the past week or two.

Are you still using the same level of prompting you started with? Have you been able to fade prompts at all? If the answer is no, prompt dependency is likely developing or already established.

Here’s what to watch for:

• consistent patterns where students only respond correctly with prompts,
• minimal or no progress in fading prompts over multiple sessions, or
• data sheets that show more prompted trials than independent trials week after week.

Sign #2: Students Wait for Your Cue Instead of Responding

This is one of the clearest behavioral indicators of prompt dependency. You give the instruction and your student just looks at you. They put their hand out. They wait.

They’ve learned that if they wait long enough, you’ll help them. And honestly? They’re right. That’s exactly what happens in errorless learning if we’re not systematically fading prompts.

Watch for students who consistently delay responding until you move closer, reach toward the materials, or make any other predictable movement. They’re not processing the instruction—they’re waiting for your prompt.

Sign #3: Success Disappears When You Step Back

Does your student nail it when you’re right there but fall apart the moment you step back? That’s prompt dependency showing itself clearly.

They’ve learned to rely on your proximity, your gestures, or your positioning as the cue for the correct response. When those cues disappear, so does their accuracy.

This is especially common when using errorless learning with positional prompts that haven’t been faded appropriately. Or when you’ve been hovering during error correction and your physical presence has become the prompt.

How Prompt Dependency Develops in Errorless Learning

Errorless learning is where you’re using some kind of prompt to keep the student from making a mistake and gradually fade your prompting out. The key phrase there is “gradually fade.”

When we use errorless learning but don’t systematically fade our prompts, students can become prompt-dependent. Here’s how it typically happens:

You start with the correct answer positioned closest to the student. They succeed repeatedly. But you don’t move it back into the array quickly enough or systematically enough. Weeks go by and you’re still using the same positional prompt.

The student has now learned “the answer is always the one closest to me” rather than learning to discriminate between the actual stimuli. That’s prompt dependency in action.

How Prompt Dependency Can Happen with Error Correction Too

You might think error correction avoids prompt dependency, but it doesn’t always. Prompt dependency can develop with any ABA teaching method if we’re not careful about fading prompts.

With the no-no-prompt procedure, students can learn “I just have to get it wrong a couple times and then they’ll help me.” They’ve learned to game the system. The prompt after two “no” responses becomes predictable and they start relying on it.

With single error correction and breakdown, if you’re consistently giving the same type of prompt after errors, students may start making intentional errors to access your prompt. Again—prompt dependency.

What Your Data Is Telling You About Prompting Strategies

Your data will show you patterns that guide your instructional decision making. You need to look beyond just “correct” or “incorrect” and examine your prompting patterns.

Track not just accuracy but also what level of prompt was needed for each correct response. Are prompts staying constant or fading over time? That’s the critical question.

Red Flags in Your Discrete Trial Training Data

Watch for these patterns that indicate prompt dependency:

• no change in prompt level needed over 2-3 weeks of instruction,
• students requiring more intrusive prompts over time (regression in independence), or
• high accuracy rates but all responses are prompted.

Also watch for students who are accurate during teaching but can’t generalize the skill to new people or settings. That often indicates they’re dependent on specific prompts from specific people.

When to Switch FROM Errorless Learning TO Error Correction

If you’re using errorless learning and seeing signs of prompt dependency, it might be time to switch approaches. Here are the indicators:

Progress has stalled—your student isn’t moving toward independence despite consistent prompted trials. You suspect prompt dependency because they only get it right when you’re hovering nearby. Your systematic instruction isn’t producing the independence you’re aiming for.

You’ve been fading prompts but students still wait for some cue from you before responding.

Making this switch means you’ll start letting students make errors and using error correction procedures instead. Yes, this might initially result in more errors, but it can break the prompt dependency cycle.

When to Switch FROM Error Correction TO Errorless Learning

Sometimes error correction isn’t the answer either, especially when teaching students with autism who have behavioral challenges with corrections. Watch for these signs:

• Problem behaviors are increasing during instruction sessions.
• Your student is making the same errors repeatedly despite corrections.
• Frustration is visible and interfering with learning.
• Your student has stopped attempting responses and just waits for you to tell them the answer.

In these cases, switching to errorless learning with a very systematic fading plan can help. The key is that fading plan—you need to know from day one how you’ll reduce prompts.

Breaking Prompt Dependency: Your Action Plan

If you’ve identified prompt dependency, here’s how to address it:

Step 1: Stop using the prompts that aren’t being faded. If positional prompts aren’t working, try a different prompt type. If gestural prompts have become the cue, switch to a different modality.

Step 2: Build in prompt fading from the start. Create a specific schedule for fading prompts. For example: 3 trials with full prompt, 3 trials with partial prompt, 3 trials with minimal prompt, then probe for independence.

Step 3: Use data-driven instruction to monitor progress. Don’t wait three weeks to look at your data. Check it daily or at minimum after every week. If prompts aren’t fading within a week, adjust your approach.

Step 4: Increase the power of your reinforcement. Sometimes students become prompt-dependent because getting the answer right isn’t worth the effort of thinking. Make sure your reinforcers are strong enough to motivate independent responding.

The Power of Mix and Vary to Prevent Prompt Dependency

Whether you’re using error correction or errorless learning, mix and vary is your secret weapon against prompt dependency. We don’t give students burrito, burrito, burrito, burrito unless we’re doing that intentionally.

Mix in 50% mastery trials like we do in Pivotal Response Training (PRT). This keeps students engaged and gives them opportunities to respond independently on skills they’ve already mastered.

When students are succeeding independently on some trials and getting prompts on others, it’s less obvious which trials will have prompts. This unpredictability can actually help prevent prompt dependency because students can’t just wait for your cue—sometimes there isn’t one.

Matching Prompting Strategies to Student Needs

Different students need different approaches when it comes to fading prompts and preventing prompt dependency. Here’s how to decide between error correction and errorless learning based on your student’s learning profile:

For students who are highly prompt-dependent: Try error correction with mix and vary. Let them make mistakes on new skills but mix in lots of mastery trials where they can succeed independently. This breaks the pattern of waiting for prompts.

For students with behavioral challenges: Use errorless learning but with a written fading schedule you follow religiously. Set a timer if you need to—fade those prompts on schedule whether students seem “ready” or not.

For students who are perfectionists: Error correction might increase problem behavior. Consider errorless learning but use the probe-then-prompt system so you’re systematically reducing prompt levels based on data.

Special Considerations for Teaching Students with Autism

Students with autism often have difficulty screening out irrelevant stimuli. This makes them particularly vulnerable to prompt dependency because they may attend to our prompting behaviors rather than the relevant features of the task.

When using systematic instruction with students with autism, be especially vigilant about: using varied prompts so students don’t key into one specific cue, fading prompts more quickly than you think necessary, building in opportunities for independent responding from early in instruction, and checking for generalization frequently.

If students can do the skill with you but not with other teachers or in other settings, that’s a sign they’re dependent on specific prompts you’re giving—even if you don’t realize you’re giving them.

How to Decide Between Error Correction and Errorless Learning

Here’s a quick decision-making guide for choosing between these ABA teaching methods:

Choose errorless learning when: the skill is brand new, the student has a history of problem behavior with corrections, or previous error correction hasn’t led to progress. But commit to systematic fading from day one.

Choose error correction when: the student handles corrections well (check your data), the skill is partially mastered, or you need efficiency and your student isn’t making excessive errors. Use mix and vary to prevent frustration.

Watch out for prompt dependency regardless of which approach you choose. Error correction doesn’t automatically prevent it, and errorless learning doesn’t automatically cause it. Your fading plan and data monitoring make all the difference.

You Can Change Your Approach

Here’s the good news about instructional decision making: you’re not married to one approach forever. If your data shows prompt dependency developing, switch approaches.

Start with errorless learning for new or challenging skills, especially if your student has a history of problem behavior with corrections. Then fade to error correction as they become more successful and you see signs they can handle corrections.

Or start with error correction if your student handles it well and the skill isn’t brand new. If you start seeing prompt dependency or behavioral issues, you can always add more systematic prompting and shift toward errorless learning.

The key really is looking at your data and making decisions based on individual students, just like everything else we do. That’s where data really informs your instruction.

Your Next Steps for Data-Driven Instruction

Look at your current students and their data right now. Are you seeing signs of prompt dependency? Get honest about whether your prompts are fading or staying constant.

For any student where prompts aren’t fading: create a written fading schedule today, try a different type of prompt if current ones aren’t working, or consider switching from errorless learning to error correction (or vice versa).

Track prompt levels in your data, not just accuracy. You need both pieces of information to make good instructional decisions and prevent prompt dependency from developing.

And remember: prompt dependency isn’t a student problem—it’s an instruction problem. We can fix it by adjusting our teaching strategies and being more systematic about fading prompts.

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The post 3 Signs of Prompt Dependency You Need to Know: When Error Correction Isn’t Working appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

At a school where I used to work, we used to have long and academic discussions about minuscule parts of behavioral procedures. To assure consistency across the staff, we had set procedures for how discrete trials were done (among other strategies) and they soon became rules that were expected to be followed.

Now, this is great for uniform application across the school. It’s not so great for making little adjustments to suit the needs of individual students. That’s not to say we didn’t individualize–not at all, we did lots of individualization. However, every time we wanted to change from the standard procedure, we ended up having to convince someone on the team that it was OK to do something different (see it’s not only the individuals with autism who can be rigid) :).

One of the debates that we would often have about changing was on how to handle errors in discrete trials. So today I want to share some of the things I’ve learned and what research tells us to help you make decisions about what strategy suits your learner.

Understanding Error Correction vs. Errorless Learning

Error correction and errorless learning are critical components of systematic instruction. We often talk about them with discrete trials, but we need to use these strategies anytime we’re teaching systematically—whether that’s sight words, receptive identification, matching, or basic skills.

Here’s what you need to know upfront:

Error correction involves letting students make mistakes and then showing them the correct response.

Errorless learning prevents mistakes from happening in the first place by using prompts that you gradually fade.

Both approaches have their place. The key is making sure your approach actually helps students learn the right answer, not just that they got something wrong.

There is some research that error correction is more efficient than errorless teaching for many or most students (Leaf, Sheldon, & Sherman, 2010). But you still need to watch your data to see how your students respond.

The Problem with Just Saying “No”

Our students are not great problem solvers most of the time. Simply telling someone they got the wrong answer usually isn’t sufficient for them to learn the right answer.

So whether we’re correcting errors or using errorless learning, we have to ask: How are we making sure they get the right answer more frequently? That’s how their answers get reinforced and how they learn the skill.

Error Correction Strategy #1: The No-No-Prompt Procedure

Let’s say you’re presenting two pictures to a student—broccoli and burrito. You say “give me broccoli” and he gives you burrito. Obviously that’s incorrect.

Here’s how the no-no-prompt works:

“Show me burrito” (student points to broccoli). No.
“Show me burrito” (student points to broccoli). No.
“Show me burrito” (you give an immediate prompt to the burrito picture).

Then you’d present several more trials of the burrito alone or with the burrito maybe placed closer to the student in a positional prompt. The student needs those repeated correct responses with reinforcement to actually learn the discrimination.

Error Correction Strategy #2: Single Correction with Breakdown

Sometimes you correct the error once and then break it down to make it easier. If you’re presenting two or three items in an array on the table, and your student gets it wrong, you say “No,” then present just that right answer so he gets it right. “Yes, that’s a burrito. Good job.”

Then maybe break it down into just two choices. If you see him going for the wrong answer, cue him to get the right answer.

Then, here’s the important piece: give him distractor trials. These might be things like “Touch your nose” or “Do this”—simple one-step directions you know he can do. You’re not recording data on these trials. You’re just building them in to distract him so you don’t get a practice effect.

But you’ve always got to come back to that same array level where you started. If you began with three pictures, your data needs to reflect that array.

Error Correction Strategy #3: The Silent Correction (No Verbal Feedback)

You may have a student who gets answers wrong, and you know (from your data) if you say “no” to him, he’s going to start chucking materials at you and you’ll lose his engagement.

Here’s what you do: “Give me burrito” (he gives you broccoli). You just pick it up without saying anything. “Give me burrito” (you give him a positional prompt so he gets it right the next time). “Yes, burrito. Nice job.”

You might do it one more time with the positional prompt because it’s closer to him. Then throw in a distractor like “match popcorn” or “give me this one.” Then put your three items out again and hopefully you’ve practiced enough that he can give you the burrito.

This approach lets you correct without the verbal feedback that triggers behavior.

Errorless Learning Strategy #1: Positional Prompts

Errorless learning is where you’re using some kind of prompt to keep the student from making a mistake and gradually fade your prompting out. Usually it means you’re going to do more trials because you’re doing a ton of prompted trials before you get to an independent trial.

For instance, you can use errorless learning with positional prompts by putting the correct answer closer to the student and then fading it back into the array. “Give me orange” (orange is closest to her). “Yes, orange.” Then you gradually move orange back until it’s in line with the other options.

This errorless learning approach typically results in less problem behavior because students are getting lots of right answers. It’s also fairly easy to do because you can give prompts in different ways and use positional prompts to fade them out.

Errorless Learning Strategy #2: Probe-Then-Prompt System

This errorless learning approach is great if you’re giving trials to paraprofessionals to implement or need something very systematic. Present each item once in different positions and look to see what’s the most intrusive prompt the student needed to get the right answer.

“Show me block.” “Show me shoe.” “Show me car.”

Then when you do your nine trials with your arrays, you use that same level of prompting every single time. If he needed a gestural prompt when you did the probe trials, every time you present these items, you point to the correct answer.

This errorless learning system is going to take a bit longer, but it’s easier to implement if you’re giving the strategy to someone else to do. They just have to implement it exactly as you’ve laid out, and then you look at the data.

Discrete Trial Training

These DTT Kits

Use the Probe-Then-Prompt Strategy

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Why Mix and Vary Is Your Secret Weapon

The mix-and-vary component is really important whether you’re using errorless learning or error correction. We don’t give students burrito, burrito, burrito, burrito unless we’re doing that intentionally.

You can use those simple one-step distractor trials I mentioned—easy things because you know the student will engage with them and you know they’re likely to get them right. So you can reinforce them and the mixed trials serve to distract them.

You can also give them a different kind of task altogether. Maybe you put burrito away for a minute and switch to sight words. Do some matching tasks you know they can do. Then come back to your target skill.

In Pivotal Response Training (PRT) we talk about mixing in 50% mastery trials. That’s kind of what we’re doing here. It keeps students engaged and reduces frustration from being stuck on one hard thing.

Watch Out for Prompt Dependency in Errorless Learning

If you’re using errorless learning or having difficulty fading prompts, you may have a student who becomes dependent on the teacher’s response. They become that kid who holds out their hand and waits for you to physically prompt them to the right answer.

We call that “prompt dependence,” but really the problem lies with us figuring out our instruction rather than the student.

They aren’t learning the discriminations you’re trying to teach. Instead of learning to read the sight words you’re presenting, they’re learning to watch your reaction and wait for the prompt. They are attending to the wrong cues. And then you’re going to have to go back and unteach it and teach it again. Students with autism in particular are susceptible to this because of their difficulty screening out stimuli.

If you’re seeing a ton of prompting in your data, that’s a good sign you may need to use a different procedure.

Why You Can’t Just Mark It Wrong and Move On

If we don’t correct errors or address them in some planful way, we end up with a student who we say, “Show me banana” and he shows you butter and you mark it wrong. “Show me cheeseburger” and he shows you butter and you mark it wrong. He never learns what those things actually are.

The prompting in errorless learning, and sometimes the error correction or error prevention, is part of what allows him to get it right so he gets reinforced. That reinforcement is driving the learning, but your prompting is allowing him to get to that point.

We can’t just let the errors go and count them wrong because he’s just going to keep getting them wrong, and wrong, and wrong, and he’s not going to progress.

Looking for More Support with Discrete Trials?

Check out the discrete trial programs below. They are designed to put materials in arrays with each position represented. They are great for giving paraprofessionals discrete trials because the materials and instructions are all laid out (that assumes you have taught them about prompting, reinforcing, etc.).

Now that you understand the different strategies, you need to know when to use each one. Check out the companion post on how to decide between error correction and errorless learning for your students.

Discrete Trial Training

These DTT Kits

Use the Probe-Then-Prompt Strategy

Shop DTT Toolkits

The post 5 Error Correction and Errorless Learning Strategies Perfect for Discrete Trials appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

I for one like lesson plans. Don’t get me wrong…I hate writing them just as much as anyone else. But I’ve seen what happens when we don’t think we need them.

Why Do We Need Special Ed Lesson Plans?

I know there are many out there who think we don’t need autism lesson plan activities in special education.  Many teachers think that  the IEPs will drive the lesson plans for each student.  Or that every student is so individualized that lesson plans don’t make sense.  Read on for my take on why lesson planning is critical.

But in reality we need lesson plans in our special education rooms for a variety of reasons.

1. Lesson planning assures that we cover the areas of curriculum we need to review.
2. Lesson plans offer proof that skills were taught, on what day, and how they were addressed. This can be critical in due process situations and during IEPs.
3. Special ed lesson plans should integrate curriculum (or alternate curriculum) with the IEPs. In other words, the IEP is not the lesson plan. Something the student should work on for her grade level might not be on the IEP if it’s not an area of weakness for her.
4. Writing special ed lesson plans also lead us to think about HOW we are teaching skills (more on that in the next section).
5. Lesson plans communicate to all the staff who work with your students what is being taught, with what materials and in what context. Without that, we are depending on being able to give them a quick verbal run-down…without assuring they know the goal of what we are trying to address in the activity.

Questions to Ask About Your Lesson Plans

Look at your special ed lesson plans and ask these questions:

• Are the materials teaching the skill I intended?
• Have I differentiated group activities for all the students to participate?
• Can the student generalize the skills I taught?
• Do the paraprofessionals know what the lessons are?
• Do the paras know the objectives we are trying to teach with the lessons?
• Can visitors and families to the classroom understand what the lesson objectives are?
• What other questions should be added?

For all of these reasons, I would say that we DO need special ed lesson plans in the classroom.  And they probably will be more detailed than those in a general education classroom because you need more information.  

But, you can create lesson plans that are manageable.

And yes you can still communicate the information that the staff need to know.  Here are some tips for doing that along with my system for doing it.

Tips for Creating Manageable Special Ed Lesson Plans

1: Create or Use a Template

You may work in a school in which the principal requires lesson plans to be turned in.  If so, determine if the format will work for your classroom. If not, ask the principal if you can use a different format and show her what you would like to use.  

It’s OK to advocate for your classroom so you aren’t doing double work.  Your needs in a special education classroom (or even as support staff for students in the general education classroom) are different.

If you don’t have a required template, create one or grab the free ones at the end of this post.  I’m including a couple examples here so you can download them and modify them as you want.  There are 2 primary things I like about them.

1. They state what the activity is, the materials (so the paras know what to get out) and the objectives.  This way everyone knows what skills are being targeted within the lesson.  So, the para knows that she shouldn’t give all the materials to the students if an objective is to practice requesting.
2. Once you complete them and refine them, many of the activities’ information stays the same.  So you just have to fill in the parts that change.  For instance, your objectives for morning meeting may not change for much of the year, so those would stay the same.

2: Set Up a Regular Time to Write Your Plans

If you use the free lesson plan template below, once you get it it set up, you will just need to change the parts from week to week that change, like the individual activities and materials.  In the downloadable example for preschool I’ve highlighted the parts that would change. So, they won’t take a ton of time.

Even though it shouldn’t be time consuming, it helps to setup an established time to write your lesson plans. You could write them each week, every other week or once a month you could batch them for the month.

3. Remember That You Can Repeat Them

If you are teaching the same lessons on a regular basis, don’t feel like you have to write totally new plans. You’ll see in the examples in the free download that there is a lot of repetition. Special Ed lesson plans are going to have a lot of repetition. Particularly if you teach in a self-contained classroom.

Our students need repetition and consistency. It’s ok to do 1 book for a week (or even 2) in morning meeting if your students are still engaged. You can emphasize different lessons using that same book, giving students some routine.

So my last tip is that it’s OK to have repetitive lesson plans.

4. Make Sure Chosen Materials Teach the Right Skills

Our students can get really misled by the wrong cues. We need to make sure we choose materials that focus their attention on the parts we want them to focus on.  I’ve written several posts that touch on this topic.  6 Considerations in Choosing and Preparing Materials for Discrete Trials covers this issue.  In addition, 2 Mistakes to Avoid When Using Commercial Products in Structured Work Systems focuses on how to identify problems with materials and provide possible fixes.  By including materials in your lesson plans, you assure that the rest of the staff is using the materials you intend for the activity.

5. Create Age-Respectful / Developmentally Appropriate Autism Lesson Plan Activities

I’ve written a number of posts on this issue in part because it’s something I feel passionate about.  I like Teaching Learners with Multiple Needs’s take on it being age-respectful and it’s a tricky issue.  However, I feel strongly that when you choose materials for instruction, we need to present materials that are age-appropriate. But they obviously also have to meet the developmental level of the students.  Here are some ideas to help with what can sometimes be a tricky issue.

• Promoting Engagement Using Age-Appropriate Materials in Middle and High School Special Education Groups
• Functional Vocabulary for Adolescents
• Vocabulary: Make it Engaging AND Age Appropriate
• Creating Teaching Materials: Back to School Setting Up Classrooms for Students with Autism

6. Choose Materials and Lessons that Promote Generalization

Students with autism, and really many students in special education, have difficulty learning skills in a broad way.  This impacts their ability to apply their skills across environments, people and materials.  Many people think that because we often work on the same skills for long periods of time, we can use fewer materials than other classrooms.  However, in reality, it is exactly the opposite.  To promote generalization, provide repetition, and keep engagement high, you need LOTS and LOTS and LOTS of stuff.

# 6 in this post focuses on generalization and the need to use lots of different presentations of materials.

5 Ways to Practice Applying Color Concepts for Generalization has ideas for promoting generalization with different types of materials.

Wrapping Up

So to wrap it up, there is obviously a lot to think about when creating autism lesson plans activities in the special education classroom.  However, with a good lesson plan template you can plan it all out and assure consistent instruction across the room.  

Good lesson planning means that you are pulling information from the students’ Teaching Implementation Plans and embedding them into the scheduled activity.  But it also allows for changing out materials, thematic lessons, seasonal activities, etc. all while using the same classroom and lesson plan structure.

Looking for more ideas for lesson planning? Come check us out in the Special Educator Academy.  We have a  workshop all about them and how to make them workable.

Download Free Special Ed Lesson Plans- Examples and Templates

sign up for free tips each week in your inbox and Grab free sample lesson plans plus free lesson plan templates from the resource library

Included in this set are a preschool lesson plan example, a middle school special education classroom example, and a template that could be used for any age,

The preschool could easily be adapted for elementary, and the middle school can easily be used for high school. 

Grab the Free Lesson Plans

The post Special Ed Lesson Plans: Free Templates and 6 Tips to Make it a Success appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.

Summary:
This post shares some reading IEP goals for nonverbal students and strategies for fostering literacy for these students using interactive and adapted books.  The beginnings of literacy and teaching literacy to nonverbal students and students with significant disabilities is reviewed.  Reasons for adopting interactive and/or adapted books are shared. And IEP and objective goals focusing on early literacy skills are provided. Additional considerations like easy ways to take data on the goals is included.

I’ve talked about interactive or adapted books before as ways to improve augmentative communication. They are really good for us modeling using AAC with them. I’ve also focused on using them to teach receptive vocabulary. But literacy is something that we don’t pay enough attention to, especially with many of our students on alternate curricula.

The Beginnings of Literacy

In order to teach some students to access literacy, we need to think about tracing the skills back to the beginnings. The beginnings of literacy skills are learning how to use books, follow along with books, and fostering interest in books.  These skills start pretty basic and stop short of getting into reading goals, which I think people are often more familiar with writing.  

When we go to write the reading IEP goals for nonverbal students or students with significant disabilities, we need to think back to how we can start to get them interested in books. So, if we think back to our developmental skills or even our own childhood, before we could read, most of us interacted with print materials (or for some maybe online literature) in some way.

Someone read to us or shared a book with us. And during that time, someone might have pointed to the words as they were read. They might ask the child to point to the pictures in the book. Or even ask the child to turn the page when the text for that page had been read. These are the beginnings of literacy. This is what got us interested (more for some of us, less for others) in literature.

Literacy for Nonverbal Students

Students who are nonverbal aren’t that different than children who speak. They can interact with reading materials in the same way when they are young. However, when a child is nonverbal or has significant disabilities, often we forget that they can still experience materials and interactions in the same way. Or their interest or engagement levels might be developmentally behind other children their age. So in that case, they sometimes miss out on these experience. And when we go to write IEP goals for nonverbal students and those with significant disabilities, we think it has to be complicated.

The key to building literacy at this stage is getting the student interested in interacting with the literature. We have to find a way to engage them and make sure that they can understand the material we are sharing. At this point, they don’t need to read the material, but matching pictures, participation in reading, turning pages, and other behaviors might be the beginnings of literacy for these students. These are skills we can build on to get to reading.

Why Interactive or Adapted Books for Teaching Reading for These Students?

As I noted, some of the early skills we work on for students who are nonverbal or need more directive intensive instruction in early literacy skills, involve getting the student engaged with the material. They have to be interested and want to interact with the material. And it needs to be presented at their level.

Interactive and / or adapted books can be the answer to get students engaged. They are called interactive books specifically because they encourage physical interaction on the part of the student. Sometimes this is to match a picture, sometimes it’s just putting a picture on a page regardless of the picture, sometimes it’s turning the page.

Interactive or adapted books are also typically highly simplified. Each page may have only 1 sentence. And some of the vocabulary is presented in picture form in addition to the word.

This makes comprehension easier and also makes the materials more accessible in the sense of allowing the student to access print without being verbal. But it also makes the material accessible in that it’s easy for the student to manipulate and play with.

Plus, using adapted / interactive books allows us to break skills down into small segments, which can helpful for the learning process.

Reading IEP Goals for Nonverbal Students or Those Who Need Pre-reading Skills

Based on this premise, below are examples of reading IEP goals for nonverbal students and those with significant disabilities. There is an example of a goal that could include the skills that follow as objectives. Or those listed under objectives could be also be goals and broken down more finely. And, as always, you should adjust accordingly for your students.

GOAL: Given visual supports within the book, Sue will remain in the area listening to a story read by the teacher for at least 5 minutes, point to/ identify/ state with AAC the title and author of the book, and select pictures related to the content of the book for 4/5 books read.

Other goals or objectives

• Given visual supports within the book, Sue will locate the cover of the book and point to (or identify or state with AAC depending on your student) the title of the book [add prompting here if needed] for 4/5 books read.
• Given visual supports within the book, Sue will locate and identify (by pointing, saying it with AAC) the author of the book for 4/5 books read.
• Sue will turn pages of a book as it is read to her independently when the adult pauses at the end of reading the text on 4/5 pages read.
• Given visual supports within the book, Sue will identify 5 pictures that belong in the book when given a picture from the book and a picture not from the book on 4/5 opportunities.
• Given a pointer or a pen or pencil, Sue will follow along with a story read to her by pointing to the text as it is read on 4/5 pages read.  [You could also project a book on a projector or interactive whiteboard for the student to follow along with a pointer.]
• Given visual choices, Sue will identify at least 1 (or 2 or 3) characters in a book that is read to her with 80% accuracy (or 4/5 books).

Considerations in the Reading IEP Goals for Nonverbal Students Above

The goals above are designed to spark ideas of what would work for your students. However, I wrote them in a way that you could easily use a checklist when reading a book to take data (checklist might have title, author, and characters on it and you check off if she gets them correct).  

I also tried to make the mastery criteria easy to track by making it 4/5 books if I could because some of these activities would only happen once per book (e.g., identify title).  

And of course there are different methods of interacting with the book and giving information that would depend on your students.  You could easily incorporate AAC or other assistive technology into the goals as well (e.g., will hit a switch to ask the reader to turn the page).

Interactive Books for These Reading IEP Goals

The interactive books pictured in this post are designed to teach vocabulary, but also work well for these literacy-building activities and this level of learning. Just leave the word cards in place and have them move the pictures.

I hope these goals are helpful for your students. The first step is to choose a book or books and start interacting with the student.

Looking for Interactive or Adapted Books to Work with Your Students?

The post Reading IEP Goals for Nonverbal Students You’ll Love: Fostering Literacy with Adapted Books appeared first on Autism Classroom Resources.