INCREASING INDEPENDENCE AMONG CHILDREN DIAGNOSED WITH AUTISM USING A BRIEF EMBEDDED TEACHING STRATEGY

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a brief embedded teaching procedure, involving least‐to‐most prompting for two paraprofessional staff in order to increase independent responses of two children diagnosed with autism in an inclusive setting. Training was given using a behavioral skills training approach, involving instructions, modeling, rehearsal, and feedback. A multiple‐baseline design across behaviors was used to evaluate the effects of the embedded teaching procedure. Maintenance of training effects was evaluated two weeks, following the end of the study. After training of the brief embedded prompting procedure and during following up probes, both students showed increased independence in each skill that staff were trained to teach. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.