ABA Assist

Most-to-Least Prompting

Also called: MTL, decreasing assistance

Definition

A prompting procedure that starts with the most intrusive prompt needed to guarantee the correct response and moves to less intrusive prompts across trials as the learner succeeds. It minimizes errors early on and suits new skills and learners who make many errors, at the cost of possibly giving more help than needed.

Example

  • Hand-over-hand for the first sessions of a tracing task, then a light touch at the wrist, then a gesture, then nothing.

Not most-to-least prompting

  • Waiting for the learner to try alone and adding help only if they fail. That is least-to-most.

Commonly confused with

See also

Written from

  • macduff-krantz-mcclannahan-2001

Written from MacDuff, Krantz and McClannahan (2001). No textbook glossary consulted.

This entry has not yet been through clinical review. Treat it as a draft.

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