Discrete Trial Training
Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is an intervention strategy characterized by its highly structured, one-on-one teaching environment in which tasks are broken down and taught in small increments. DTT is typically conducted with a teacher and learner seated adjacent to one another at a table. There are four parts of DTT that are presented in the following order:
The discriminative stimulus is a brief, clear instruction or question that is relevant and appropriate to the task (Smith & Myles, 2008). Examples of a discriminative stimulus can be:
Before delivering the discriminative stimulus it is imperative that the learner's attention is gained. The same discriminative stimulus is often used for every trial until the learner makes a connection between the direction and the response. After consistent responding, generalization can be planned for by varying the discriminative stimulus.
The child response is the behavior the child exhibits in response to the discriminative stimulus. The response must be clearly described and observable.
The consequence is a stimulus change that occurs after the response that either increases or decreases the future frequency of the behavior.
The intertrial interval is a 3-5 second pause between the consequence and presentation of the discriminative stimulus signifying a new trial.
In the initial stages of teaching using DTT, a prompt is sometime added between the discriminative stimulus and the child response. This prompt assists the learner in engaging in the correct response and may take the form of a visual, gestural, or physical prompts.
Below is an example of a DTT session. The title is, "This is ABA" but more specifically it is an example of DTT, a technique using ABA principles.
- Discriminative Stimulus
- Child Response
- Consequence
- Intertrial Interval
The discriminative stimulus is a brief, clear instruction or question that is relevant and appropriate to the task (Smith & Myles, 2008). Examples of a discriminative stimulus can be:
- "Do this."
- "What is this?"
- "Read."
Before delivering the discriminative stimulus it is imperative that the learner's attention is gained. The same discriminative stimulus is often used for every trial until the learner makes a connection between the direction and the response. After consistent responding, generalization can be planned for by varying the discriminative stimulus.
The child response is the behavior the child exhibits in response to the discriminative stimulus. The response must be clearly described and observable.
The consequence is a stimulus change that occurs after the response that either increases or decreases the future frequency of the behavior.
The intertrial interval is a 3-5 second pause between the consequence and presentation of the discriminative stimulus signifying a new trial.
In the initial stages of teaching using DTT, a prompt is sometime added between the discriminative stimulus and the child response. This prompt assists the learner in engaging in the correct response and may take the form of a visual, gestural, or physical prompts.
Below is an example of a DTT session. The title is, "This is ABA" but more specifically it is an example of DTT, a technique using ABA principles.