Response prompting and fading methods: a review.

Teachers of individuals with severe handicaps typically use response prompts, such as verbal instructions, modeling, and physical guidance, to encourage correct responding. However, the goal of instruction is to have the individual respond to natural stimuli rather than response prompts. Therefore, these response prompts must be faded. Currently there are four methods for systematically fading response prompts: increasing assistance, decreasing assistance, graduated guidance, and time delay. An overview of each method as well as a review of comparative investigations involving these methods of fading response prompts was presented. Recommendations for practitioners and for future research were included.