Computerized Training to Implement Teaching with Flexible Fading of Promptings

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a highly prevalent disorder among children around the world. Because of that, the availability of specialized intervention services is often insufficient. Also, the demand for personnel training to implement evidence-based intervention strategies is increasing. Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) training is an effective strategy for teaching a variety of skills to people with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Research has identified advantages in teaching how to implement DTT combined with flexible fading. Previous research compared flexible fading with different procedures: constant delay time, correction of and most-to-least fading, and identified that all the previously mentioned procedures were effective, however flexible fading was more efficient to achieve the established teaching targets in shorter time. Despite the advantages, implementing flexible fading requires from the instructor to be able to make quick decisions based on the learner’s performance, which increases its degree of unpredictability and makes it more complex. Given this, training people to implement DTT with more complex components is a new challenge. Interactive Computer Training (ICT) has emerged as an efficient, low-cost training tool that reduces the need for a physically present instructor. Having said that, this work aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a training package via ICT to teach university students to implement, with a high degree of accuracy, the DTT components combined with a flexible fading prompt procedure. The dependent variable was the integrity of the DTT application, measured through the percentage of correctly implemented components. The independent variable was the implementation of the training package via ICT, using a multiple-probe experimental design. Six university students (four women and two men) participated in this research. Five were from the psychology course and one from the occupational therapy course. All the participants showed immediate change in the accuracy level of implementation of several components of the intervention strategy. They also achieved more than 90% of performance accuracy of implementation integrity at the maintenance phase. The efficiency of the training package is given by the short average training time (1h and 36min). The participants showed 96% of performance accuracy at the generalization phase. The data here reported demonstrate the effectiveness of the training package. They corroborate with other studies that indicate the effectiveness of training packages via ICT, currently concerning to teaching a complex skill, such as flexible fading of prompting procedures.