Acquisition, generalization, and spontaneous use of color adjectives: a comparison of incidental teaching and traditional discrete-trial procedures for children with autism.
Run quick discrete-trial blocks for color adjectives, then switch to incidental play to make the words stick outside the table.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team compared two ways to teach color words to kids with autism. One group got traditional discrete-trial drills. The other group learned the same words during play when they asked for toys.
Both groups had the same teacher, same room, and same toys. The study flipped the two styles every day so each child tried both ways.
What they found
Kids reached the mastery goal faster with discrete-trial drills. At first they also used the new words in new settings better after drills.
Later checks told a different story. Both groups kept the words equally well, but the kids who learned through play used the words on their own far more often.
How this fits with other research
Hart et al. (1968) first showed that making toys contingent on saying a color-noun combo boosts spontaneous talk. Miranda-Linné et al. (1992) copied that idea for children with autism and added a speed test against drills.
Ferguson et al. (2022) ran the same alternating-treatments design but compared DTT to equivalence-based lessons. They also saw DTT win on speed, matching the 1992 pattern.
Lindgren et al. (2024) stretched the story into telehealth. They found DTT online works just as well as at a table, so the quick-acquisition edge of DTT holds even through a screen.
Why it matters
You can have both speed and real-world use. Start with short, clear trials to lock in the new adjective fast. Once the child hits mastery, shift to incidental moments—wait for them to ask for the red car, then prompt the full phrase. You keep the efficiency of DTT and gain the natural speech that incidental teaching gives.
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Join Free →Add a 10-trial DTT warm-up on a new color word, then move to free play and wait for the child to request the colored item before you prompt the full adjective-noun.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Incidental teaching and traditional discrete-trial procedures were used to teach two children with autism the expressive use of two color adjectives to describe preferred toys and food items. The two teaching procedures were performed in a classroom setting, and generalization and spontaneous usage were assessed at home with parents. The results demonstrated that traditional discrete-trial teaching was more efficient and produced faster acquisition and, initially, greater generalization. However, by follow-up, the incidental teaching methods resulted in equal retention, greater generalization, and equal or greater spontaneous usage. The findings indicate that although it takes a longer time for children with autism to learn with incidental teaching procedures, once they have acquired an ability, it may be more permanent. It is recommended that incidental teaching procedures be included in future language development programs for children with autism.
Research in developmental disabilities, 1992 · doi:10.1016/0891-4222(92)90025-2