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?
Start with simple and achievable goals for the student. Practice concrete rules initially in controlled environments and heavily reinforce expected behaviors. Practice the concrete skill in multiple controlled environments with ‘friendly’ staff. Start with very specific targets and expand the contexts and people with whom the student will demonstrate the skill.
As the student is ready, systematically target increasingly advanced discriminations where changing just one aspect of the situation dictates a shift in if, when or how the interruption should occur.
What visual supports (scripts, instructions, reminder cues, etc.) will you use to help the student rehearse the expected behavior or skill?
Scripts, scenario cards, and video scenarios can be used to help the student rehearse what to do and what to say when interrupting someone. For some students, it may be helpful to initially target 2-D images or video scenarios that depict a person in a scene to help the student determine whether they are displaying the “busy signals” in this scene.
Visual instructions and graphic organizers can clarify the steps of determining if it is appropriate to interrupt someone, as well as help to arrange information including categories of “Social” or “Work-Related” topics. Additionally, video models can provide the student with reviewable examples of how to appropriately interrupt when assistance or clarification is needed in order to complete a task.
Visual reminder cues can support the student who needs to refer to a cue card to know what to do when someone is busy. What do they do while waiting? How do they cope with waiting?
What type of prompting might you need to provide in the initial learning phase?
Models of what to do, what to say, and how to say it in a concrete situation will be necessary.In the case of an interruption, you could show the student the steps including knocking, waiting for a response, taking a few steps into the area, then stating the reason for the interruption. Modeling prompts would also be used as the instructor examines a situation and “thinks out loud” to reveal to the student how the instructor determines whether it is appropriate to interrupt in a given role-play scenario (e.g. “He is working at his desk, but he is not talking to anyone else. This might be an ok time to interrupt so I can ask him a question about my task.”)
Beyond modeling, the instructor needs to label the expected behavior and design the visual support so that the student can use it in practice and in labeling what he sees in others’ practice. Again, systematic fading of modeling, labeling and eventually even gestural prompts to the visual support can lead to independent use of the support for interaction.
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?
There are several types of discriminations to target in role-play and video scenarios: 1. The “right” versus “wrong” time to interrupt (e.g. he is on the phone = wrong time; he is working quietly at his desk = right time). 2. The right “way” to interrupt (what to say, how to say it) versus the “wrong” way to interrupt (e.g. what not to say and the wrong way to say it). 3. The appropriate reasons to interrupt (e.g. work/task-related issues in need of assistance or clarification) versus inappropriate reasons (e.g. I want to talk about what I did last night).
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?