Example Task Chain for Using a System of Least Prompts

This week’s FREE tool is a sample task chain for using a system of least prompts when teaching life-skills to a student with developmental disabilities. In the system of least prompts, you begin a task with the least amount of prompting possible and increase assistance only as needed. This table provides an example of prompting for a student who is using a computer to locate a phone number. The example will help teachers see ways to break assignments into smaller tasks and match those tasks with minimum teacher input. The key to this kind of instruction, as explained in CEC’s Footsteps Toward the Future: Implementing a Real World Curriculum for Students with Developmental Disabilities, is to provide multiple opportunities for students to practice a skill.