Prompt

A prompt is a behavioral strategy that is used to promote the production of a target behavior that is to be increased. Prompts also may be used to promote the cessation of an undesirable behavior (i.e., while teaching a replacement behavior) or to promote maintenance and generalization of a behavior. Once the appropriate behavior occurs, reinforcement can be provided. There are several ways in which a prompt can be delivered, including verbal, auditory, written, gestural, or physical forms. Verbal, auditory, written, and gestural prompts are thought to be the least intrusive to the individual learning the new behavior, whereas physical prompts typically are considered the most intrusive.

Research has demonstrated that prompts are useful for promoting desirable behavior in many individuals with a wide range of presenting concerns. For example, prompts have been used in teaching skills to children with autism and other developmental disabilities, in teaching children with anxiety disorders to use anxiety reduction strategies, in behavioral parent training programs aimed to improve child noncompliance and disruptive behavior, and in classroom settings with children with behavioral (e.g., attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder) or academic problems. Prompts are useful not only when individuals are motivated to change their behavior (e.g., a child who wants to stop nail biting but does not always realize when the behavior is occurring) but also when behavior change is motivated by a third party. In this instance, prompts promote the occurrence of desirable behaviors so that reinforcement may be provided.

Parents may use verbal prompts when teaching children polite manners. For example, when a parent says, “Remember to say thank you,” they are using a verbal prompt. Similarly, other auditory cues may be used to prompt a behavior. For example, parents may implement the technique of setting a timer and using the timer buzzer as a prompt to provide specific praise to a child who is behaving appropriately. Other, yet similar, prompts may be written or visual. For example, a child who has difficulty getting items together to take to school each morning may benefit from a written prompt such as a checklist of necessary items taped to the door. This way, each day before leaving the house, the child walks up to the door and sees the visual prompt, which serves as a cue for the child to make sure all items have been collected before leaving for school. Gestural prompts include the use of body movements that are designed to promote the occurrence of the desirable behavior. Parenttraining programs implement the use of gestural prompts when teaching children to comply with instructions. For example, when parents give instructions [Page 973]to put a toy away in a box, they are taught to point from the toy to the box, hence implementing the use of a gestural prompt. Finally, physical prompts are used when other, less intrusive prompting strategies have been ineffective at promoting the desirable behavior. For example, a hand-over-hand, physical prompt may be used to teach personal hygiene and hand-washing skills to a child. Once an individual has acquired the target behavior, prompts can be faded. This means that the level of intensity of the prompt is decreased gradually until the desired behavior occurs independently.

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