Effects of two variations of differential reinforcement on prompt dependency.

Abstract in brief

• The study explored how two different types of differential reinforcement (DR) can reduce prompt dependency and help individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) learn new skills, by testing these methods on four participants and identifying their preferred rewards.
• Three teaching procedures—one involving reinforcement for independent responses, one with reinforcement for prompted responses, and one with no reinforcement—were used to teach word-picture relations, with the most preferred rewards delivered in each.
• Results showed that the DR high/moderate reinforcement method was most effective for three participants, while the DR high/extinction method worked best for the remaining individual, highlighting different effective strategies for reducing prompt dependency.]