Discrete Trial Teaching (DTT) for Children with Autism

As a special education professional, my job description entails observing, supervising, training, providing recommendations, counseling parents and so on. I have realized while doing all or some of these that DTT is a common topic of discussion. Many of my clients (teachers, therapists and parents) confirm that they use this method and still do not see the desired result in their children and I usually have to go through the process of explaining what DTT is all about. 

  

This morning while driving down from church, three words kept resounding, in my head "comprehension", "application" and "manifestation." And then it all started coming together, "Comprehension" - understanding; "do these people really understand what DTT is? "Can I possibly give what I do not have? Application- how is this applicable, and what is their level of fidelity to the practice? Response to these questions will bring about the desired result in the children, that is: ''manifestation."

What is Discrete Trial Teaching?

The DTT is a method that is generally used to provide intervention for  young children (ages two through six) with autism in order to maximize learning. It is also used with older children, especially those with significant developmental delay. This method is based on the principle of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA). DTT is simply good teaching for developing communication skills, cognitive skills, play skills, social and self help skills. It involves teaching in simplified and structured steps rather than teaching a whole skill all at once.

The Format

The format for DTT involves the following steps:

a.  Breaking a skill into smaller parts.

b.  Teaching one small part of the skill at a time until it is mastered.

c.  Allowing repeated practice in a concentrated period of time.

d.  Providing a prompt for the correct response and fading the prompt as necessary.

e.  Using positive reinforcement procedures.

    

In DTT a small amount of information is given to the student, and the response is immediately reinforced or not reinforced as the response would determine. DTT involves numerous trials in order to strengthen learning. Each small bit of information given must be mastered before moving to the next.

Here is an example of what a session may look like:

The special education teacher/therapist gives the child an instruction (antecedent) e.g "touch your nose." The child responds (behavior) by touching his/her nose, since the response was correct, the child receives a positive reinforcement as the consequence of his/her behavior. If the response (behavior) is incorrect, a prompt replaces the reinforcement, once the prompt leads to a correct response a reinforcement is then administered. If the child still does not give a correct response after prompting, the teacher would have to withdraw the instruction ("touch your nose") and replace it with an easier skill that has already been mastered by the child such as "hands up." It is important to watch against frustrating the child and to ensure that each session ends with success (Read more on types of reinforcement and prompts in my subsequent posts).

   

Other important factors in using DTT are setting up the session environment, regular data collection in order to monitor progress, fading of prompts and reward, and generalization of learning or skills taught to other materials, environments and people.