Discrete Trial Training
Also called: DTT, discrete trial teaching, massed trials
Definition
A teaching format that breaks a skill into small units taught in repeated, clearly bounded trials, each with an instruction, an opportunity to respond, a consequence, and a brief pause before the next trial. It is adult-led and produces many practice opportunities in a short time.
In plain language
Teaching in short, repeated tries. Each try has a clear start and end, and the adult decides what is taught and when. It packs a lot of practice into a short time.
Examples
A technician presents two cards, asks the learner to point to one, and records the response before pausing and starting the next trial.
Ten trials of a naming task run back to back at a table, with a short break between each.
Not discrete trial training
Waiting for a learner to reach for a toy and then teaching a request in that moment, which is learner-led rather than trial-based.
Practising a skill once at the end of a session with no defined trial structure or recording.
Commonly confused with
See also
Written from
- smith-2001-dtt
Written from the descriptive literature on discrete trial formats. No textbook glossary consulted.
This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.