Question

Describe how you might teach a young child to phone home using EACH of the major chaining methods (forward chaining, backward chaining and total task presentation). Make sure that your answer is clear enough so that the differences among these procedures are clear at they relate to this task. Hint - Responses in the chain involve: picking up phone, waiting for the dial tone, dialing 7 numbers, waiting while the phone rings, having some anwer the phone, and speaking into phone.

Answer 1

Forward chaining , backward chaining and total task presentation are the important three task analysis procedures in applied behavior analysis which is used to teach functional skills to people with disability. Obviously the procedure can be used to train young children in acquiring complex and demanding tasks according to their age level/developmental stage.

First step in task analysis is to determine whether the learner or child in this case, has the pre - requisite skills necessary to learn the target behavior . If the child does not have these prerequisite, either that has to be incorportated into the learning program or taught beforehand giving the chosen task analysis method for achieving the target behavior. For example in this case of teaching a young child to phone home, it is necessary to assess whether the child has achieved developmental task of gross motor and fine motor skills necessary to handle and dial the phone, has no hearing impairment, has the adequate speech, can remember the 7 numbers in this case or read it from a note pad etc. After this step, the components of the target behavior are analysed and broke up into smaller steps, and checked for whether the individual steps completely determine the target skill. Then appropriate task procedure (like backward chaining, forward chaining or total task presentation) and method to teach each step (like prompting, reinforcement etc) are decided before proceeding with the implimentation of program for achieving the target behavior /skill. Assuming that all these necessary part has been taken care of , let's consider teaching a young child to phone home, using the given steps in chaining.

Implimenting forward chaining : First step of child picking up the phone and pressing the correct switch for dialing can be modeled by the trainer for the child to watch. Then the child is prompted verbally to imitate the task and verbally appreciated on achieving the task. Matering of the task can be checked by evaluating whether the child is able to repeat the step on prompting. Then child may be instructed to discriminate the dial tone and wait for it. The child is then asked to pick up the phone, press the correct button and wait for the dial tone. Child is appreciated for acheiving the combined task and that for the initial step may be faded as it masters the sequence. Then picking up the phone, waiting for the dial tone and dialing the correct 7 number digit may be modeled or instructed and the child is prompted to perform the three step task. On achieving this, the child may be rewarded either by social praise or tangible reward. The process of repeating the steps, necessary prompting as well as fading of it for initial steps, etc are repeated till the child masters this and the other two steps of someone answering the phone and speaking over the phone is achieved.

Implementing backward chaining : In the backward chaining, the trainer perform all the sequential steps till the ultimate step and asks the child to perform it. On mastering the required step, penultimate steps are introduced likewise by the trainer after completing all the previous sequential steps before asking the child to perform it. The child is rewarded for successful completion of the same. In the given problem bacward chaining maybe progressed as follows. The child may be asked to speak to someone at home after ensuring that someone has answered the phone. Child need to be appreciated or rewarded for this. Then with proper instruction to the child to speak after someone has answered the phone, it is given the phone after dialing the number . Again this step is rewarded with appreciation on mastering it. Then the child is taught to dial the phone through modeling and instructed to speak to someone. But the phone is given to the child after ensuring that there is dial tone. The step of waiting for dial tone before dialing the 7 digit number is also introduced similarly and the child is given phone. After mastering this much sequence, the child may be verbally prompted to take the phone and call up home. As usual successful completion of the task is rewarded.

Implementing total task presentation : As an initial step child may be allowed to watch the trainer phone someone. This may be used as an initial step for modeling. The child is given specific instruction as how each of the steps are completed before moving on to the other steps in the sequential process in the target skill or demonstrated how it is being done. Then the child is prompted to perform the complete task of calling up home and is rewarded for achieving the same.