Evaluating discrete trial teaching with instructive feedback delivered in a dyad arrangement via telehealth

Ferguson et al. (2020) taught six children with autism new words over Zoom.

Two kids sat side-by-side on camera. One child got the main lesson. The other watched.

While the teacher gave the primary target, she also said a fun fact about the picture. This extra fact is called instructive feedback.

Every child learned the words that were directly taught.

Five of the six also learned the extra fact just by hearing it. They even said it later without any practice.

The watching child often picked up both targets too, even though no one asked them anything.

Campbell et al. (2024) ran a tighter test. They compared DTT alone to DTT plus instructive feedback. Both methods worked, but only half the kids learned the extra targets. Their design is stronger, so they update the 2020 finding.

Nottingham et al. (2017) showed the same trick in a lab. Kids learned extra targets slipped into trials. Ferguson moved the idea to a living-room computer screen.

Morton et al. (2023) used instructive feedback to create new play skills. Ferguson created new tacts. Together they show the bonus target can land in different skill buckets.

You can teach more words in the same minute by adding a quick side comment. Telehealth does not break the effect, so you can run efficient trials even when the child is at home. Next session, try adding a fun fact while you deliver the primary target and see if your learner starts repeating it for free.