Where is the student now? Where do you want him to be? Given the sub-skill you selected within your task analysis (starting point for instruction), how can you shape this behavior into a practical skill for the future?
As noted earlier, your long-term goal is for the student to self-organize around breaks; keeping himself engaged in relaxing activity that does not disrupt others, moving quickly between work and break, and taking care of his own personal needs without prompting. Since there are so many facets to ‘successful break behavior,’ the visual support and the available activities may require an initially high level of environmental design in the break area to assure the student’s focus on his options. Consider how to design practice in the break area so that the student gets a level of success. Make sure that the visual support and the environment make it possible for the instructor to prompt the student to use the supports and environmental cues as independently as possible. Remember that prolonged and repeated prompting can lead to prompt dependency. What you expect of the student needs to be within reach fairly quickly.
What visual supports (scripts, instructions, reminder cues, etc.) will you use to help the student rehearse the expected behavior or skill?
After priming and getting agreement on the list or visual support (list of topics, list of activities, time-based sequence, etc.), orientation to the support may require a brief period of role-playing. This role-playing may be initial practice that assures the student is comfortable and understands how to use the support. This role-playing should be followed as soon as possible by practice in the actual setting where the support will be used.
What type of prompting might you need to provide in the initial learning phase?
You are prompting to get independence. Thus, your prompts should help the student orient to and use the visual supports that you have constructed, with the student’s agreement, for him to use. Choose prompts that help him focus on the support and the expected activities, not you. Do you point to the support, to the activity options, to the conversation topics, to his timer or watch? If you tell him what to do, be careful that you are not setting up dependence on a person to organize his behavior.
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?
Waiting and timing of prompts will be crucial. How will you increasingly delay prompts so that the student uses cues and supports that will stay in the environment?
Are you arranging frequent practice opportunities to build fluency through repetition?
In work environments, there are generally only two 15 minute breaks and a lunch break so there are only 3 opportunities in a work day for a break. In job training, make sure that you set up a break even in a 2-3 hour job training experience. Look for all opportunities within the school environment to practice using the visual support: - lunch, in-class breaks in different classes, before school, etc.
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?
Especially in school, assure that all instructors understand the target behaviors you are addressing with the visual support and understand how to prompt the student to the support. Communication between staff about how to fade prompts is essential.