Prompt Fading

The systematic and gradual removal of assistance used to teach a skill.

Prompt fading is the process of slowly withdrawing the help you give a learner until they perform the skill independently. If you physically guide a student's hand to write their name, you must fade that prompt to a light touch, then a gesture, and eventually nothing.

Effective prompt fading transfers stimulus control from your prompt to the natural environmental cue. This ensures true independence and prevents prompt dependency.