Inserting mastered targets during error correction when teaching skills to children with autism

Plaisance et al. (2016) asked a simple question. Does slipping in easy, already-known tasks during error correction help kids with autism learn faster?

They used an alternating-treatments design. Some teaching runs had the extra mastered trials. Others did not. They counted how many trials each child needed to reach mastery.

The mastered-target insertions gave zero boost. Kids learned just as well without them.

Worse, the extra trials added time. Acquisition was slightly slower when the easy tasks were wedged in.

Berkowitz (1990) and Cohen (1975) also tweaked DTT with autistic learners. Both found that smarter prompting cuts errors and speeds learning. Plaisance et al. (2016) shows the opposite: adding non-essential responses slows things down.

Bromley et al. (1998) and Simpson et al. (2025) warn that autistic children often fail to notice their own errors. You might think extra mastered trials would sharpen monitoring, but the new data say they do not.

Fixsen et al. (1972) proved that extra body movements (self-stimulation) block learning. Plaisance et al. extend the idea: extra task movements (review trials) can also get in the way.

You already run tight DTT sessions. This study tells you to skip the filler. When a child errs, deliver the correction and move on. Resist the urge to slide in easy tasks for confidence. You will save minutes per target and reach mastery faster. Streamline your error correction this week and see the difference in trial count and student engagement.