Effects of computer simulation training on in vivo discrete trial teaching.

The team built a 20-minute game called DTkid. Staff played it on a laptop.

The game walks you through a full discrete-trial loop: give instruction, wait, prompt, reward, and take data.

Before and after the game, each staff member ran short trials with a real child. The study compared the two sets of scores.

After the short game, staff hit more steps correctly when they worked with the child.

They also kept the new skills during later sessions with different tasks. The gains stuck.

Levin et al. (2014) ran a near-copy study but stretched the module to two hours. They saw even bigger jumps in accuracy, showing that a longer course can give a larger boost.

Paden et al. (2025) picked up where Sigmund left off. After staff learned DTT, the clinic had them watch short clips of their own sessions and score themselves. Fidelity stayed high even when a supervisor was not watching.

Jones et al. (1992) did not use computers, yet they got strong generalization decades earlier. They taught staff with many practice clients and settings. The new tech route is faster, but the old route reminds us that wide examples still matter.

You can plug a 20-minute simulation into any staff meeting and see better DTT right away. Use it when hiring new aides, when a sub fills in, or while you wait for in-person BST. Pair the game with later self-monitoring, and you have a cheap, portable system that keeps accuracy high even during busy days.