By: Elizabeth Zeppernick, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA

When working with individuals with developmental disabilities, the prospect of teaching new, complex or multi-step directions can be daunting!  We aren’t just teaching a client to brush their teeth, we are teaching them the 17 mini-steps that make up the teeth brushing routine and, on top of that, teaching them to do the steps in an exacting order.  

In Applied Behavior Analysis, in order to break down the steps in manageable, teachable chunks, Behavior Analysts often use a method known as chaining.  There are several types of chaining but Kobylarz et al. (2020) studied the use and effectiveness of backward chaining in order to teach vocational skills to adults with developmental disabilities.  A backward chain is when the last step of the sequence is taught first and then we teach the second to last step, third to last step, and so on until the chain is mastered.  Explained succinctly, backward chaining teaches step D, then steps CD, then steps BCD, then teaches steps ABCD (Walls et al., 1981).  

In their study, Kobylarz et al. (2020) worked with three adults in a vocational training facility that supported individuals with developmental disabilities.  The three participants had cerebral palsy with cognitive impairments, Down Syndrome, and brain damage respectively.  The target behaviors to be taught were janitorial skills in which the participants had no prior training.  Example skills were sweeping under tables, cleaning a locker, sink, or toilet.  

This study evaluated the accuracy, efficiency, and long term retention of training with the following three methods of backward chaining: 

1. Teacher-Completion:  Within view of the participant, the teacher completes any untrained steps of the chain until the target training step is reached.  In other words, “I will show you or model the steps you don’t know yet until we get to the step you know.”

2. Participant-Completion: Using the least amount of verbal and gestural prompts from the teacher as possible, the participant completes the untrained steps.  In other words, “I will cue and direct you with some of the steps you don’t know yet until we get to the step you know.”

3. No-completion: Out of view of the participant, the teacher prepares the setting, completing the untrained steps until the target training step is reached.  In other words, “Some of the steps will already be completed for you and you will come in to complete the steps you know.” 

The results of the study indicate that all three methods taught the target vocational skills but the Participant-Completion method was most effective.  Among the three methods, the No-Completion method led to the most errors and required the greatest number of teaching trials among the three methods.  The likely reasoning behind this is that the participants were essentially blind to the untrained steps, giving them fewer opportunities to learn the untrained portion of the chain.   The practical implication of this is that there are great benefits in actively involving our clients and students in the novel, untaught steps of the many multi-step skills we try to teach.  In addition to supporting vocational training, behavior chains can be used to teach social, self-help, academic, motor and communication skills.  Knowing the most efficient chaining techniques is important for teachers and caregivers who have a vested interest in teaching a new, complex skill quickly, particularly when it’s the foundation of the individual’s independence and safety.  

Source: 

Kobylarz, A. M., DeBar, R. M., Reeve, K. F., & Meyer, L. S. (2020).  Evaluating backward chaining methods on vocational tasks by adults with developmental disabilities. Behavioral Interventions, 35(2), pp. 263-280.

Walls, R. T., Zane, T., & Ellis, W. D. (1981).  Forward and backward chaining, and whole task methods.  Behavior Modification, 5, 61-74. https://doi.org/10.1177/014544558151005

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