Chaining

Chaining is how you teach a task analysis. Once you've broken the skill into steps, you decide how to sequence the teaching. The three main approaches are forward chaining (teach the first step first, prompt the rest), backward chaining (prompt all steps except the last, which the learner completes independently), and total task (prompt through all steps every trial, fading across the whole chain simultaneously).

Backward chaining has a specific advantage - the learner always completes the final step independently, which means they always contact the natural reinforcer at the end of the chain. Making a sandwich and getting to eat it. Washing hands and getting to go to lunch. That end-of-chain reinforcement is built in.

The right approach depends on the learner, the skill, and how dangerous errors in early steps might be. Total task works well for learners who already have most components and just need to string them together.