Teaching Methods

Shaping and Task Analysis

Shaping

Shaping is the process of reinforcing closer and closer approximations to an end goal or skill. It helps build new skills and cooperation, while keeping the experience positive and manageable for the learner.

What is Shaping?

  • Shaping focuses on progress, not just the final outcome.
  • The adult looks at how far the learner has come from the starting point, and reinforces small, meaningful steps toward the goal.
  • It makes visible the many small barriers or discomforts a child may have with a task, so these can be addressed gently instead of pushing only for completion.
  • This understanding helps design learning that is consistent, appealing, and enjoyable, without causing distress.

Why Shaping Helps

  • It reduces pressure on “getting it right” and encourages engagement.
  • It allows the adult to notice sensory, motor, emotional, or cognitive challenges that show up along the way.
  • It supports a positive attitude to learning, because the child experiences success and support instead of repeated failure or negative feedback.

Example: Solving a Puzzle

  • The learning goal is: “The child solves a puzzle.”

  • You see that the child is finding it difficult to complete the puzzle independently.

  • Sit with the child and actively participate in solving the puzzle:You put in most of the pieces together with the child. Leave the last few pieces for the child to figure out and finish.

  • Here, you are not withdrawing support; you are staying with the child, participating without criticism, and helping the child reach completion and closure.

  • The task gets done, the child experiences success, and there is no need for negative feedback or distress.

Over time, as the child becomes more confident with the materials, you gradually step back. You let the child do more and more of the steps, and you step in again the moment you see signs of discomfort or struggle. In this way, shaping maintains safety and confidence while increasing independence.

Applying Shaping to Other Goals

This process can be applied to almost any teaching–learning goal, such as:

  • Writing a short paragraph (starting with tracing, then copying words, then generating one word, then a sentence).
  • Brushing teeth (starting with bringing the brush, then adding toothpaste, then brushing a few areas, and so on).
  • Participating in group activities (starting with sitting nearby, then joining briefly, then staying for longer parts).

In all cases, shaping means honouring each small step, reinforcing effort and participation, and adjusting support so the learner can move toward independence without feeling overwhelmed.

Task Analysis

Task analysis is a way to break down a single task into clear, teachable steps and focus on one step at a time so that the learner can gradually achieve independence. It is especially useful for activities of daily living, leisure skills, and many executive functioning skills.

How to Create a Task Analysis

  • Choose a task to teach - Select one meaningful, functional task (for example, brushing teeth, dressing, tying shoelaces, or setting up for painting).

  • Make a list of steps needed to complete the task

    • Watch someone (the child or another person) do the task in their natural way and note down each step, or take a video and write from that.
    • Different people do the same task in different orders; suddenly changing the order can throw the learner off, so begin from how they naturally do it.
  • Break the task into subtasks or chunks if needed
    • Group related steps together into small chunks (for example, “getting brushing things,” “the actual brushing,” “rinsing and packing up”).
    • Look at the whole routine, not just the central action. For brushing, that includes: collecting materials, preparing the brush, brushing, rinsing, and putting things back, not only the brush-in-mouth part.
  • Identify the underlying skills required
    • List the motor and understanding skills needed to complete the task (for example, squeezing toothpaste, opening and closing the tube, turning a tap, gargling, spitting).
    • If there are serious limitations in these underlying skills, do not try to teach all of them at the same time within this task. Teach those motor or cognitive skills separately in other sessions so that the main activity does not become overwhelmingly laborious.
  • Ensure steps are clear, observable, and measurable
    • Write each step so that you can see whether it is done or not, and easily track data.
    • As you work through the steps with the learner, note exactly where they need help and where they are already independent.
  • Plan how you will teach the task (chaining options) - There are three main ways to support the learner through the whole chain of steps.
    • Total task chaining - Use when the learner can already complete a good number of steps spread across the whole sequence (for example, 10–12 out of 20 steps, distributed from beginning to end). You stay available throughout the task, step in where help is needed, and consciously step back where the learner can manage independently.
    • Forward chaining - Use when the learner can manage a few steps at the beginning but struggles with the rest. The learner starts by doing the first step or first few steps independently, and you assist with the following steps. Over time, you add more independent steps at the beginning.
    • Backward chaining - Use when the learner is more successful at the end of the routine than at the beginning (for example, they can pack up nicely but not manage earlier parts). You assist from the first step through to near the end, and the learner completes the last few steps independently. Gradually, you fade your support earlier in the chain.
  • Implement, collect data, and revise as needed
    • Implement your plan, observe carefully, and record which steps need prompts and which are independent.
    • Revise the steps, the grouping, or the chaining strategy based on how the learner is responding.

Using Supports and Visuals

  • Task analysis is a tool for the adult, but the learner benefits when the steps are turned into visuals (pictures, written lists, or symbols) and placed where they perform the activity.

  • Visuals reduce the need for constant verbal reminders and allow the learner to refer to the sequence independently.

  • You can use task analysis not only for self-care but also for leisure activities like painting or collage, and for broader executive functioning skills, often in combination with shaping.

“Cannot Do” vs “Does Not Want to Do”

Sometimes a learner either cannot do a task yet, or can do it but does not currently want to do it. Instead of framing it as “will not do,” consider it as the learner’s decision not to do it right now and get curious about why.

Ask: Is the learner bored? Is the activity too hard, too easy, too repetitive, or presented in an uninteresting way? Can it be done differently?

If a learner who previously managed a task (for example, setting up painting materials and painting independently) suddenly resists, go back to task analysis:

  • Break the task down again.
  • Identify exactly where they are expecting assistance and where they are still independent.
  • Walk them through, offering support where needed and stepping back elsewhere.

This back-and-forth may happen several times, but it helps build a positive attitude to work, a sense of “I can do this by myself,” and trust that help will be available when needed—reducing resentment and increasing genuine independence.

Contents