Strategy 5 The Hierarchy of Prompts

WHAT?

Prompts support us in remembering what to do and are adapted to our needs. They ensure that learning takes place and goals can be achieved. This is true of using AAC to communicate too .

As the individual’s abilities improve, the amount and type of prompts needed decrease. Therefore, we follow a hierarchy of prompts to ensure we are always working towards maximizing the individual’s independence with that particular skill. (Rocky Bay, 2010)

WHY?

We often naturally use prompts to help our children achieve success in AAC because they are still learning how to use their AAC system to communicate.

However, we need to consider the danger of prompt dependence and learned helplessness. We have seen too many individuals who use AAC seek prompts even though they are able to do it independently.

In daily communication, we utilize the least-to-most prompting sequence.

HOW?