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Fading

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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Synonyms

Prompt fading; Stimulus fading

Definition

Fading is the process of reducing assistance (i.e., cues, prompts, supports) until no longer needed so that the skill or response being taught is exhibited independently. In behavioral instruction, fading generally refers to gradually removing supports put in place during training programs so that the target behavior eventually occurs independently. For example, when teaching a child with autism how to spell his name, the teacher starts with stating each letter out loud and having the child repeat them until he does so without error. The adult then instructs the child to spell his name and starts by saying only the first letter out loud and then only “mouthing” (silently moving lips) the remaining letters using no voice. Eventually, the teacher asks the child to spell his name, and he does so without additional prompts. The removal of the verbal prompts illustrates the process of fading.

See Also

Prompt Fading

Prompts

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References and Readings

  • Harper, C. B., Symon, J. B. G., & Frea, W. D. (2008). Recess is time-in: Using peers to improve social skills of children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 38(5), 815–826.

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  • Krantz, P. J., & McClannahan, L. E. (1998). Social interaction skills for children with autism: A script-fading procedure for beginning readers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 31, 191–202.

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  • Miltenberger, R. (2001). Behavior modification: Principles and procedures (2nd ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.

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  • Patel, M., Piazza, C., Kelly, M., Ochsner, C. A., & Santana, C. (2001). Using a fading procedure to increase fluid consumption in a child with feeding problems. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 34, 357–360.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Institute for Behavioral Studies, Endicott College, 376 Hale Street, 01915, Beverly, MA, USA

    Prof. Thomas Zane

  2. The School at Springbrook, 2705 State Highway 28, 13820, Oneonta, NY, USA

    Traci Lanner BCBA

  3. The School at Springbrook, Oneonta, NY, USA

    Michelle Myers

Authors
  1. Prof. Thomas Zane
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  2. Traci Lanner BCBA
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  3. Michelle Myers
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Thomas Zane .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology Yale University School of Medicine, Chief, Child Psychiatry Children's Hospital at Yale-New Haven Child Study Center, New Haven, CT, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar (Director, Child Study Center) (Director, Child Study Center)

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Zane, T., Lanner, T., Myers, M. (2013). Fading. In: Volkmar, F.R. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_1138

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-1698-3_1138

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4419-1697-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4419-1698-3

  • eBook Packages: Behavioral Science

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