Simultaneous prompting independence is measured during planned no-prompt probes, rather than from a correct response after the controlling prompt on a teaching trial. An immediate prompt makes teaching performance prompted by design. If the learner responds before the prompt despite the planned zero-second interval, record the actual sequence and review timing. Avoid relabeling that event without a written scoring rule and observer agreement.
Label teaching performance accurately
A correct prompted response can show participation and prompt effectiveness. It cannot demonstrate that the target cue alone controlled the response. Report teaching opportunities, correct prompted responses, errors after prompts, and withdrawals without calling them independent.
Use probes for independence
The telehealth study explicitly separates prompted instruction from unprompted daily probes. The three-child comparison also used daily and full probe sessions to measure correct independent responses for the assigned discrimination tasks.
Handle early responses
A person may begin responding during the tiny interval between cue and prompt. Define whether the prompt was already delivered, whether the response was complete, and how the trial is classified. Repeated early responses can signal a need to review the procedure.
Keep access ordinary
The BACB outline covers measurement, prompting, stimulus control, and interpretation. The Ethics Code addresses documentation and evaluation. ASHA supports AAC access during both teaching and probes.
A practical example
Amari completes eight teaching trials: seven correct after the model prompt and one no response. On the next probe, Amari responds independently in 3/4. The report shows 7/8 prompted teaching correctness and 3/4 independent probe performance.
Questions families can use
Was the controlling prompt delivered? Where is independence tested? How are early responses scored? Are probe and teaching data separate? Does the response definition fit speech, AAC, motor access, and processing time?
Sources
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board, BCBA Test Content Outline, 6th edition
- Mengi and colleagues, Simultaneous Prompting Delivered by Telehealth to Teach Young Children with Autism
- Leaf and colleagues, Comparison of Simultaneous Prompting and No-No Prompting in Two-Choice Discrimination Learning with Children with Autism
- Reichow and Wolery, Comparison of Everyday and Every-Fourth-Day Probe Sessions with the Simultaneous Prompting Procedure
- Akmanoglu and colleagues, Comparison of Simultaneous Prompting and Constant Time Delay Procedures in Teaching Children with Autism
- Tekin-Iftar and Olcay-Gul, Increasing Instructional Efficiency When Using Simultaneous Prompting Procedure in Teaching Academic Skills to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Behavior Analyst Certification Board, Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts
- American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Augmentative and Alternative Communication
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