Training individuals to implement discrete‐trial teaching procedures using behavioral skills training: A scoping review with implications for practice and research

Briggs and his team read every paper they could find on teaching staff to run discrete-trial teaching. They ended up with 51 studies that used behavioral skills training (BST).

They mapped how each study changed the classic BST steps—instruction, model, practice, feedback—to save time or reach more people.

Most teams trimmed or reordered BST parts. Some dropped the live model. Others swapped in video. A few added brief in-situ feedback later.

Despite the tweaks, trainees still hit mastery. The review shows you can shrink BST and keep the punch.

Souza et al. (2023) looked at 15 similar papers and said the same thing: BST works for DTT, and telehealth is growing. Briggs et al. simply updates and triples the count.

Matos et al. (2021) is one of the 51 studies. Their undergrads hit 100 % accuracy after BST with both instant and delayed feedback—proof that the trimmed models still work.

Vladescu et al. (2020) shows the same efficiency mind-set in a different field. One 30-minute BST session taught caregivers safe infant sleep setups. The pattern is clear: shave time, keep mastery.

You no longer need the full four-step BST every time. If staff already know the basics, swap the live model for a two-minute video and jump straight to practice and feedback. You’ll finish training in half the time without losing fidelity.