Prompting Strategies for Teaching Daily Living Skills to Adults with Intellectual Disability: A Systematic Comparison

Abstract

We compared the three most common prompting hierarchies to determine which was the most effective at teaching a variety of skills. The prompting hierarchies employed were least-to-most, most-to-least and most-to-least with a delay. The target population was adults with intellectual disability living in a residential facility. When a participant mastered a skill, it was put on hold and the same prompting hierarchy was employed to teach a skill that was being acquired slowly. Three residents participated in this study and were taught three skill each, using a different prompt hierarchy for each skill. The results were variable. One participant mastered two skills using two different prompt hierarchies. One participant showed acquisition though she did not independently complete any skill at the conclusion of the study. The third participant did not have much acquisition. The implications of all three participants’ results are discussed as well as future recommendations.