Prompts
Prompts are additional cues given before, during, or after an instruction to help the learner respond appropriately and experience immediate success. Their value is not only in getting the “right answer,” but in making success accessible, reducing distress, and strengthening the learner’s self-efficacy over time.
A good prompt works like a ramp, not a lift. It helps the learner navigate the task with support, while preserving dignity, competence, and agency. Therapists should begin from a stance of presumed competence and prepare prompts in advance, so they can respond fluently when the learner is not ready, playful, withdrawn, anxious, or less willing to engage on a given day.
Why prompts matter
Prompts are especially important in the early stages of teaching because they reduce errors and make learning more efficient. When used thoughtfully, they help the therapist identify how the learner responds best, whether through visual changes, gestures, modelling, verbal cues, or physical assistance.
Prompts also support the flow of the session. If the therapist has a planned range of prompts ready, they can guide the learner without repeated instructions, frustration, or unnecessary interruptions. The long-term goal is always independent responding, communication, and agency.
Types of prompts
There are two broad types of prompts: stimulus prompts and response prompts.
Stimulus prompts
- Changes made to the materials or the way the task is presented to make the correct response easier to notice.
- Pointing or tapping the correct picture; placing the target item closer; highlighting, colour coding, enlarging, or using a background template.
Response prompts
- Support added to the learner’s response so they can produce the desired action or answer.
- Verbal cue, modelling the action, or physical guidance such as hand-over-hand support.
Stimulus prompts
Stimulus prompts alter the cue or materials to make the target more visible.
- Movement prompt: Pointing to or tapping the correct item, or looking toward it.
- Position cue: Placing the target closer or arranging materials so differences are easier to discriminate.
- Redundancy: Highlighting important features by making them larger, colour coding them, or using visual templates in the background.
For example, if the child is asked to sort red objects, placing a red sheet in the sorting tray can make the task easier to understand and complete successfully.
Response prompts
Response prompts provide help directly to the learner’s action or answer.
- Verbal prompt: Telling the learner what to say or do.
- Modelling: Demonstrating the desired response so the learner can imitate it.
- Physical prompt: Gently guiding the learner through part or all of the response when needed.
For example, if the instruction is “Clap hands,” support may move from full physical guidance, to partial physical or gestural support, to no prompt as the learner becomes more independent.
Prompt fading
Prompts should not stay at the same level forever. They are gradually reduced as the learner begins to respond more reliably, so support fades and independence grows.
A common pattern is moving from most support to least support. For a physical response, this might look like full physical support, then partial physical or gestural support, and then independent responding. For a verbal response, it may move from saying the full answer, to giving only the first word or sound, and then waiting for the learner to answer independently.
Using prompts during a session
Before starting, materials should be organised, distractions reduced, and the learner’s attention secured. Instructions should be brief, clear, and delivered neutrally, while reinforcement can be more animated and encouraging.
If the learner gives a correct response, even with a prompt, it should be followed immediately by meaningful reinforcement. If the learner gives an incorrect response or does not respond, it is better to represent the instruction and provide a prompt than to keep repeating the instruction many times. Repeated instruction without support can build non-compliance and frustration.
When the learner disengages, loses interest, or reacts strongly, the therapist can gently reorient, try once more with an appropriate prompt, and then decide whether to pause, simplify, or return through priming activities. If the material is not appealing or the child is no longer available for that demand, it is acceptable to provide the answer, move on, and return later with a better-prepared version.
Therapist mindset
Prompts are not a sign that the learner is failing; they are a sign that the adult is making the task accessible. They help the therapist notice what support is effective and what mode of learning the child prefers.
Used well, prompts create successful participation without blame, shame, or pressure. They help the child experience, “I can do this,” and that sense of competence is essential for communication, engagement, and independence.