What Comes Before: Discrete Trial Training (DTT)?

While “What comes before discrete trial training” does not conclude the “What comes before ____” series, it does come as a result of the earlier sessions. We’ve been drilling down and finding that many of the things we want to teach are much more easily taught if we’ve established the capacity to earn quality participation for 10 or more consecutive learning opportunities.

This means that this repertoire is foundational and worthy of further investigation. If we’ve introduced discrete trial training early in our relationship with a learner, can we tell whether it is productive? Can we tell whether it is counterproductive?

There is an abundance of empirical support for the efficacy of discrete trial instruction, aligning with Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts standard 2.01 (i.e., be effective). But simply implementing an empirically supported strategy with a learner does not assure that we will do no harm, potentially misaligning with standard 2.14, like minimize risk. We need not limit these considerations to strategies targeting the reduction of behaviors like self-injury, where the potential use of punishment or extinction may cause harm. We can be far more proactive, strengthening foundational repertoires likely to facilitate healthy learning and thereby reducing long-term motivation for escape/avoidance and the many potential manifestations thereof.

The earlier we can teach anything, the better. But many introduce DTT prematurely and the results can be harmful. The issue could be that teachers are presenting unclear instructions, mis-timing prompts, or failing to reinforce good participation effectively. It could be that the learner is simply not ready to benefit from discrete trial instruction.

In this training, we’ll dive into the skills and repertoires most learners need to benefit from discrete trial training.

This includes things like:

• Tolerance of teacher proximity, speech, and perhaps physical contact
• Tolerance of brief delays in access to preferred items/activities
• At least modest interest in at least a few items/activities (e.g., tickles, praise, permission to transition from the cafeteria to the gym)
• A modicum of flexibility (i.e., comfort/willingness to sometimes follow a teacher’s agenda)
• The motor capacity to participate in targeted ways; and much more.

Join us! Consider whether your learner is truly ready to benefit from discrete trial training. If not yet ready, learn about some of the things you can do to get there.

Participants can purchase 1 Ethics CEU for this course.

Participants will be able to:

1. Describe at least two potential indicators that DTT is currently effective (ethics code 2.01) for a particular learner and at least 2 potential indicators that DTT is going poorly, possibly causing harm (ethics code 2.14).

2. List at least 4 learner repertoires that support our capacity to engage a learner in discrete trial instruction.