Have you found yourself verbalizing to a student, step by step, what they need to do to complete a task (i.e, open your locker, take off your coat, hang it up, take off your gloves ....)? I see this chain of behaviors all too frequently when I'm out in schools and in the community with students and staff. Unfortunately, for many students with autism, they become overly dependently on your verbal prompts. Furthermore, when you think you are fading them, what you actually are doing is going from a direct verbal prompt ("Take off your coat.") to an indirect verbal prompt ("Go ahead.", "What's next?"). The end result is that the student is waiting on you to say something prior to responding. Rather than increasing their independence, you are making them more dependent.
What should you do instead? My rule of thumb is that if the task you are teaching does not require the student to verbalize, DO NOT use verbal prompts to teach the task or skill. Verbal prompts are difficult (if not impossible) to fade and some students become overly dependent on them. Instead of telling them what to do, show them what to do using visual (picture sequences, written lists of steps) and/or physical prompts (hand over hand, partial physical assistance, gestures, proximity). These types of prompts are more efficient in that they can be easily faded. In some cases, you may find that you are unable to fade the visual prompts, and that's OK. How many of us are dependent on our own visual supports (calendar, Blackberry, or iPhone)? In an earlier post, Jennifer provided a link to an excellent article on visual strategies; for more information on the topic, check out Linda Hodgdon's website.
