Stop simultaneous prompting when the person withdraws, distress or safety concerns arise, communication or material access fails, the controlling prompt is ineffective or too intrusive, independent probes remain weak after the review rule, errors or poor integrity continue, the goal is complete, or another teaching method fits better. Address immediate safety first and document the final teaching, probe, access, client-input, and transition evidence.
Know when to stop simultaneous prompting
Predeclare immediate stop conditions and scheduled review conditions. Medical concern, serious distress, unsafe contact, or loss of communication access can require immediate action. Weak probe learning, excessive time, or integrity problems can trigger clinical review.
Close the procedure cleanly
Record the last teaching and probe dates, prompted and independent outcomes, access conditions, withdrawal or assent information, unresolved targets, and why the plan changed. Preserve the record rather than silently switching prompt rules.
Use research as evidence, not obligation
The procedure comparison found simultaneous prompting was less effective for the assigned tasks in three participants, while the probe-schedule study found schedule-specific variation. These small results support review and comparison.
Preserve rights and useful supports
The Ethics Code addresses involvement, assent when applicable, risk, evaluation, discontinuation, and transition. ASHA supports continuous AAC access. Useful communication supports remain available after the procedure ends.
A practical example
Wren has 30 planned teaching trials, 27 correctly delivered, and 24 correct prompted responses. Independent probes remain 1/9, and Wren declines two later sessions. The stop rule activates; the team reviews a different, less burdensome teaching plan.
Questions families can use
Which trigger occurred? What did the person communicate? Were teaching and probes implemented as planned? Which target remains important? What new method, specialist, support, or closure decision follows?
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
Finni resources
