Comparison of interventions to treat prompt dependence for children with developmental disabilities
Prompt dependence fixes are kid-specific—run a brief three-way probe to see whether reinforcement, fading, or extra wait time works best.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Gorgan et al. (2019) tested three ways to break prompt dependence in kids with developmental delays. They compared differential reinforcement, prompt fading, and giving extra wait time before prompts.
Each child got all three fixes in a fast-turnover design. The team watched which method cut prompt use fastest and kept correct answers high.
What they found
No single fix won for every child. One kid did best with prompt fading, another with extra wait time, and the third with differential reinforcement.
The mixed results mean you must test, not guess, which tool fits each learner.
How this fits with other research
Durand et al. (1990) found constant time delay beat the system of least prompts for teaching sight words. Their clear winner contrasts with Gorgan’s mixed picture, but the tasks differ: sight-word reading versus breaking prompt dependence.
Lord et al. (1997) and Mueller et al. (2000) also used alternating-treatments designs to test reinforcement tweaks. Like Gorgan, they saw no single method dominate, backing the idea that individual assessment is key.
Einfeld et al. (1996) showed immediate reinforcement beat delayed for feeding issues. Gorgan’s work extends this timing question to prompt dependence, again showing that when you deliver help matters, but the best “when” changes by child.
Why it matters
Before you pick a prompt-fading plan, run a quick three-way probe like Gorgan did. Spend one session on each method, track prompt levels and correct responses, then lock in the winner. This five-minute test can save weeks of slow progress and cut learner frustration.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pick one learner who stalls until you prompt; test all three fixes across three short sessions and chart which cuts prompts fastest.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Prior research has examined interventions to prevent prompt dependence from occurring during the training of novel skills. Nevertheless, the relative efficacy and efficiency of different intervention procedures may be idiosyncratic across learners, suggesting the potential benefit of an individualized assessment. The purpose of the current study was to extend the literature on prompt dependence by comparing interventions for 3 participants with developmental disabilities who consistently engaged in correct responses following prompts but did not perform tasks independently. We compared the efficacy and efficiency of 3 interventions including differential reinforcement, prompt fading, and extended response interval. Intervention results differed across participants, indicating that the most efficacious and efficient intervention for prompt dependence should be individualized via assessment.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 2019 · doi:10.1002/jaba.638