Prompting
The use of supplementary cues or assistance to help a learner produce a correct response, with the intent of fading that help over time.
Prompting refers to any added stimulus that increases the likelihood a learner will respond correctly. Prompts come in many forms, including verbal prompts, gestural prompts, modeling, visual prompts, and physical guidance. They are temporary supports, not permanent features of a skill, and the long-term goal is always independent responding.
Practitioners commonly organize prompts along a hierarchy from most to least intrusive, or least to most intrusive, and they plan how to fade prompts systematically. Effective prompt fading reduces assistance gradually so the learner does not become dependent on the prompt, a problem known as prompt dependency.
Data on prompt levels is important because it shows not just whether a learner responded correctly but how much help was required to get there. Tracking the level of prompting over time lets teams confirm that a learner is moving toward independence rather than simply succeeding with maximum support.