Resources

Reflection Questions

The Reflection Questions document can be downloaded at any time and used in a variety of ways. You can view it before starting your work so that you know which questions will be asked in the videos and/or on the webpages. You can also access it at the end of your work so that you can see all your responses to the questions. This tool can be helpful for documenting your learning and referring to later or for sharing it with others in group discussions or as demonstration of your online progress.

Discussion Questions

The Discussion Questions provided below can supplement and extend your individual learning and be used by facilitators or coaches to prompt meaningful discussions.

Q: Why is the use of time delay particularly important when teaching learners with ASD new skills?

A: A correct answer should include a statement such as:

• Learners with ASD often have difficulty generalizing the use of newly acquired skills. Time delay procedures may help learners with ASD transfer and/or adapt newly acquired skills to additional activities and settings.
• Learners with ASD often become dependent upon prompts to use target skills. Time delay procedures are particularly effective at preventing prompt dependence, because prompts are systematically faded so that learners must focus on naturally occurring situational cues, rather than prompts, to use the target skill.

Q: How would you determine whether time delay would be effective with an individual learner with ASD?

A: A correct answer should include a statement such as:

Some initial assessments should be conducted to determine a learner's current skills. Learners must display certain prerequisite skills before time delay can be implemented. These skills include the ability to:

1. respond to the instructional cue,
2. wait for a certain number of seconds,
3. imitate others,
4. stay seated during instructional activities,
5. increase positive behaviors in response to reinforcers, and
6. follow one-step instructions.

Q: What type(s) of cue can be selected to begin a time delay trial?

A: A correct answer should include a statement such as:

• The environment can be arranged so that materials are ready before learners arrive at a particular teaching activity. Arranging the environment in this way provides a signal to learners that they should be using the target skill.
• Teachers/practitioners can provide instructions about the task or activity in a clear, complete, and specific manner so that learners know what skills they are supposed to be using.

Q: Discuss your feelings and actions comparing the two procedures presented in this module.

MORE SPECIFICALLY....Two time delay procedures were presented in this module. Which do you feel would be most appropriate for autistic learners that you know? What steps would you take before using time delay to teach target skills to ensure that the practice is implemented as intended?

A: Answers to this question will vary. Each should be supported by content taken from the module regarding the selected time delay procedure.

Activities on this page are provided at both the introductory and advanced level and can be copied and used within existing professional development or university coursework.

Introductory Activities

Implementing Time Delay

Identify a learner with ASD with whom you currently work. Think about which time delay procedure you might use with this learner. Why did you choose this procedure? During what activity would you implement time delay? What would you select as the cue? Why? What would you select as the controlling prompt? Why would this prompt be most appropriate for this learner?

Implementing Time Delay Across the Day: Embedded Intervention

Think about how you could extend the use of time delay across the day. During which activities would you use time delay? Why did you select these activities? Would you use the same/different cues and controlling prompts across routines and activities? Why? Who would be responsible for implementing time delay across the day? Would you take primary responsibility, or would other practitioners implement time delay as well? How would you communicate with others about when time delay should be implemented? How would you monitor learner progress?

Implementing Time Delay Across the Day: Teaching Peers to Use Time Delay

Think about how you might teach typically developing peers to use time delay during instructional activities with autistic learners. Would you choose one or multiple peers to take part in the intervention? How would you select them? When and where would you teach peers to use time delay? After peers have been trained, during which activities would they use time delay with their autistic peers? How would you know that peers are implementing time delay correctly? How would learner progress be monitored?

Advanced Activities

Making Adaptations to an Existing Activity

Adapt a daily routine or activity to include time delay as the primary instructional approach.

Research Activity

Using the evidence-based practice list provided in the Resources section, read at least two articles on time delay and prepare a summary to share with a parent group or school team.

Teaching Others About Time Delay

Using what you have learned from the time delay module, design a visual format for presenting this information to others who work with learners with ASD. This might include constructing a poster describing how time delay can be implemented across the school day, a brochure or fact sheet that explains to parents and siblings how to implement time delay at home and in the community, etc.