A Decision-Making Tool for Evaluating and Selecting Prompting Strategies
A one-page decision guide lets new staff pick prompting tactics correctly with almost no supervision.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Cowan et al. (2023) built a one-page decision tool. It walks you through picking a prompting strategy.
Graduate students tried it with kids who had intellectual or developmental disabilities. The trainers stayed in the background.
A multiple-baseline design checked if the students could choose and use prompts on their own.
What they found
The students learned to pick the right prompt type with almost no help. They said the tool was helpful and easy to use.
Skills held up when the trainer stepped away.
How this fits with other research
Kodak et al. (2013) tested tiny prompt tweaks, like repeating the instruction. They found no speed gain. Cowan gives the next step: a menu so you pick the whole strategy first.
Rubio et al. (2024) compared finger vs. spoon guidance in feeding. Both worked, but parents liked finger better. Cowan’s tool would flag that social-validity angle before you start.
Bottini et al. (2019) showed most providers use clinical guess-work instead of protocols. Cowan answers that gap with a ready-made protocol you can hand to new staff tomorrow.
Why it matters
New BCBAs and RBTs often freeze when choosing prompts. This pocket guide cuts the freeze time. Print it, laminate it, and your rookie can start trials without you hovering. That frees you to supervise bigger picture programming.
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Tape the Cowan decision tool inside your binder and hand a copy to your newest technician before the first trial.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Literature has demonstrated the successful application of various prompts and prompt-fading procedures for teaching clients with intellectual and developmental disabilities. However, few practical resources exist to guide behavior analysts in the evaluation and selection of a prompting strategy for a given client and a targeted skill. In this article, we describe the development of a decision-making tool for selecting and evaluating prompting strategies, highlighting steps needed prior to evaluating clinical outcomes associated with the use of the tool. We used a multiple baseline across participants design to assess the ease with which graduate students could apply the decision-making tool with clients across a variety of skills. Results indicated that the participants learned to apply the decision-making tool with relatively limited involvement from a trainer. Social validity data collected from participants suggested that they found the tool helpful. Results contribute to the literature on the development of decision-making tools to guide behavior analysts in the selection of interventions to use with clients. The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40617-022-00722-8.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2023 · doi:10.1007/s40617-022-00722-8