Your Therapy Source Magazine for Pediatric Therapists January 2016 | Página 6

Types of Prompts and How to Use Them Effectively
When teaching children new skills, therapists and
teachers provide instruction and prompts to
complete the skill. Many times different prompts
are used together to help a child learn a new skill
or complete a targeted response.
There are many different types of prompts such as:
1. verbal prompts – instructions or words to direct
a person to complete the skill. It is the most
commonly used prompt.
2. modeling – demonstrating the skill either in person or on a video. It is the second most
commonly used prompt.
3. manual prompts – physical contact from a teacher to help the child complete the skill.
4. gestural prompts – pointing, motioning or nodding toward the child or the objects to
complete the skill.
5. photographs and line drawings – pictures or step by step instructions to complete the skill.
6. text prompts – written instructions, checklists, scripts and reminder lists.
Prompts are beneficial when teaching children new skills but in order for the child to become
fully independent in the skill the prompts need to decrease over time until they are no longer
needed.
Here are some techniques to use prompts effectively:
1. One approach is to start with the least amount of prompts possible (least to more
prompting method). Begin with minimal assistance and only add additional prompts if needed.
Prompt along a continuum of verbal prompt, gestural prompt, modeling and then a manual
prompt. Sometimes even with one type of prompt you can move along a continuum of least to
greatest prompts. For example, use one verbal request. If needed, add additional verbal
requests. The benefit to this technique is that with every additional prompt needed the child is
getting repeated time to respond to requests and more practice time. This least to most
prompts approach is a good choice for skill assessment to determine how much of the skill the
child can do independently.
2. Another approach is to reduce the prompts as the child learns the skill (most to least
prompting method). When children are first learning a new skill they may need physical cues,
modeling and verbal prompts. As the child learns to master parts of the skill, reduce prompts
to encourage full independence by the child. Some research indicates that reducing prompts
is the most effective fading prompts technique because it results in fewer errors and quicker
skill acquisition than the least to more prompting method.

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