Hey there, teacher friends!
I recently went to an Autism Workshop Day and I was really intrigued. I found myself opposed to this new and trending statement in the autism world…. “Fade your prompts”….
Some people really believe that fading your prompts will help our students become more independent and by eliminating support will develop their own skill sets.
While this might be a great goal for some students. I believe each student is different and neurodiverse. Remember not one size fits all.
If you use prompts, can students still be independent? Can they have a self awareness of their own strategies that work for them? I believe so.
Who here has their clothes lined up at night for the next day? or has a shopping list ready to go before they go to the shops? or even has a planner to plan out your day? I do….
These are Prompts.
I also believe even if you are neurotypical. Prompts are always around you…. So why are we taking these away from our special students?
Why do we need to cancel or phase out something if it works? 90% of people in the world rely on prompts.
In saying this, I don’t believe you need to fade your prompts. You CAN use them in your classroom, if it works for your students, don’t feel obligated to phase out.
We love using prompts in our own classroom. So here are some great ways prompts can be used as tools in your classroom in helping your students be more successful in developing their own skills and abilities.
Visual prompts
These prompts use pictures, images, or videos to help students understand the task or activity. For example, a visual prompt for a maths problem could be a picture of an object to help students understand and see a maths problem. It gives them greater understanding by visually illustrating the question or task.
We love using our bulletin board – life skills shop tasks in class.
They are sooooo visual in learning simple addition and calculating prices of items. We have real life bulletin board images with prices (various shops created each month) and display on our classroom whiteboard. This gives life skills to our classroom and has students order from a real classroom shop!
Click here to find out more about this visual bulletin board bundle, using visuals prompts.
Verbal prompts
These prompts use spoken or written instructions to guide students through a task or activity. For example, a verbal prompt for a reading activity could be “sound out the word slowly and look for the vowel sound.”
A written instructional prompt could be reading then answering a written task card question in their booklets for a subject area.
Gestural prompts
These prompts use hand gestures or physical cues to support students in completing a task or activity. For example, a gestural prompt for a movement activity could be a hand signal that indicates the direction of movement.
We like to try and learn different Auslan signs in our classroom for helping with communication
Partial prompts
These prompts provide some initial guidance or support to help students get started on a task or activity. For example, a partial prompt for a writing activity could be providing the first sentence or phrase of the assignment. This allows the students to start and then they have the confidence to complete the rest of the task.
Time-based prompts
These prompts use time limits or deadlines to encourage students to complete a task or activity within a certain time frame. For example, a time-based prompt for a cleaning activity could be “you have five minutes to pack away your desk activity.”
We are big fans of goo, Bubble, countdown clocks and sand timers in our classroom.
Overall, prompts in a special education class are designed to be accessible and supportive for students with diverse learning needs and abilities. I don’t feel you must fade your prompts- especially if they are working for your students’ particular needs. Teachers can use a combination of these prompts to provide individualised support to each student and help them achieve their full potential.
What are your favourite prompts to use in the classroom? Should we fade them out entirely? I would love to know! Connect with us on Instagram!
Thank You! ❤️
Thanks for hanging out with us! We hope you found this post helpful to both you and your special students.
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