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?
One basic example of shaping the student’s behavior would be to start by targeting the most explicit examples of sarcasm in role play (examples with clear tone of voice and facial expressions that totally contrast with the literal words), and then systematically introducing examples of sarcasm (in role-play, video scenarios, etc.) that are more difficult to interpret.
What visual supports (scripts, instructions, reminder cues, etc.) will you use to help the student rehearse the expected behavior or skill?
Scripts, graphic organizers, social narratives, reminders, and video models can be used to support instruction of this topic. For example, a graphic organizer may clearly provide the meanings of several idioms, which can then be incorporated into custom scripts for role-play practice. Instruction of this set of idioms can further be visually supported by using them in a thought story to show the speaker’s intentions when stating each.
Instructor: There is a large library of workplace idioms included in the graphic organizers section of this topic. In addition, there are many websites that provide extensive lists of idioms for you to pull from.
What type of prompting might you need to provide in the initial learning phase?
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 initiating the target behavior?
If teaching to interpret sarcasm, your verbal and modeling prompts will need to be faded after initial instruction and as the student gains comprehension. Use visual supports during initial instruction and link them to the skills, this way the student can begin using them as necessary instead of relying on instructor prompts. For example, you can teach the student to use a graphic organizer that compares the non-verbal and verbal characteristics that may indicate sarcasm. This organizer can be used as a visual cue by the student as he continues building on the skills of this topic, and as a priming tool for role-plays.
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?
Particularly with the topic of sarcasm, discrimination of appropriate versus inappropriate responses is vital to success. If focusing on responding to suspected sarcasm, how are you helping the student process and determine what to say? If he commonly interprets even “friendly” sarcasm as “bullying,” you will be faced with the task of helping him understand a) how to recognize the type of sarcasm and/or b) how to seek clarification appropriately in any situation. Since interpreting the type of sarcasm is less rule-oriented and more abstract of a concept (being based on the setting, people, situations, context, etc.), it may be most helpful to target discrimination of appropriate versus inappropriate responses when seeking clarification (e.g. “Take that back!” versus “I’m sorry, can you explain what you mean?”).
Are you arranging frequent practice opportunities to build fluency through repetition?
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?
Many idioms are used by people in daily conversations without us even realizing it. If you establish a system where the student seeks clarification on idioms as he hears them, be sure to let others know who work with him. For example, if he uses a script (e.g. “I am unfamiliar with that phrase, what does it mean?”), be sure that other instructors, parents, and co-workers are aware that he is learning about idioms so they are not caught off-guard. During this process, everyone may become aware of just how unsure we are of the actual meanings of these colorful phrases!