Where is the student now? Where do you want him to be? Given the sub-skill you selected within your task analysis (your starting point for instruction), how can you shape this behavior into a practical skill for the future?
If the student struggles to accurately estimate how long a particular activity will take (e.g. a transition from one place to the next; the amount of time it takes him to prepare himself and materials in the morning), your initial effort might be to devise a detailed schedule and checklist to which the student refers and adheres with consistency. This visual tool might break down and clarify exactly how long an activity should take (getting dressed = 3 minutes; eating breakfast = 7 minutes). The student would use a timer or digital watch to assist him in adhering to these breakdowns. Over time, the student may no longer need such a rigid time-management system, particularly as he can begin to self-monitor, and accurately estimate how long an activity takes and how much time has passed during the activity.
What visual supports (scripts, instructions, reminder cues, etc.) will you use to help the student rehearse the expected behavior or skill?
Repeated practice with visual organization tools (schedules, to-do lists, visual reminder cues) is critical. In many cases, this requires that the student engage with this scheduling system at numerous points across their school or work day. They need repeated practice in referring to and adhering to their schedules. Furthermore, many students need repeated practice in recording information in these schedules. This involves hearing or seeing information, and immediately recording it in their visual scheduling system. This must happen many, many times before the student will initiate this outside of the instructional setting. This also involves developing routines around checking that schedule, within and outside of the instructional setting.
Social narratives and graphic organizers will support understanding of the “why” behind this skill. (see Visual Supports sections for examples)
What type of prompting might you need to provide in the initial learning phase?
As you teach the student (across repeated opportunities) to record information on his scheduling system and to access that information across his day, it is likely that some combination of verbal, modeling, and gestural prompts (verbal prompts being most difficult to fade) would be necessary.
What is your plan for systematically and quickly fading out your prompting? How do you time and fade the prompt to support the student in arriving on time?
Can the student discriminate between the more versus less appropriate response in a given role-play scenario? Are you arranging opportunities for the student to make such discriminations and to label when the instructor or someone else performs the behavior incorrectly?
Video scenarios and live action role-playing with scenario cards can help the student accurately discriminate between situations that require an on-time arrival or an early arrival, versus those that may allow a later arrival. Moreover, these scenarios can also be used to emphasize some of the consequences of on-time arrivals versus late arrivals (from the perspective of the student, as well as from the perspective of others).
Some examples might include:
Are you arranging frequent practice opportunities to build fluency through repetition?
Throughout the day, the student should have opportunities to practice:
What steps do you need to take to ensure that everyone targeting that skill applies the same level of prompting and fades it out at the same rate to support initiation by the student?