09/29/2025
🧩 Prompt Hierarchy in ABA: Teaching Toward Independence
Prompts help children learn new skills—but they’re most effective when we fade them strategically.
That’s where prompt hierarchy comes in.
In ABA, we use a structured sequence of prompts—from most supportive to least—to promote independence and reduce reliance on help. The goal? Help the child succeed without doing the task for them.
🔹 Full Physical – You guide their hands through the action
Example: Hand-over-hand helping them put on a jacket
🔹 Partial Physical – You gently assist part of the motion
Example: Lightly guiding their elbow toward the sleeve
🔹 Modeling – You show them what to do
Example: Demonstrating how to put your own jacket on
🔹 Gestural – You point or gesture toward the action
Example: Pointing to the jacket hanging on the hook
🔹 Verbal – You give a clear, simple direction
Example: “Put on your jacket”
🔹 Visual – You use a picture, chart, or written cue
Example: A visual schedule showing “get jacket”
🔹 Independent – The child completes the task without prompts
Example: They go get their jacket and put it on by themselves
Over time, we fade prompts systematically to allow the learner to succeed on their own.
🎯 It’s not just about getting the task done—it’s about helping the child learn how to do it.
