In ABA, a task analysis, affectionately referred to as a “TA”, is a set of steps that are subcomponents of a larger skill. TA’s break down larger, more complex skills, like showering, into smaller steps or actions to make them more manageable for our learners. Smaller components are easier to learn. These sub-steps are typically written down so that everyone can be consistent when they teach. In addition, written task analyses are fantastic for data collection!
But, how do you know when to use a task analysis? Good question. We use them to teach life skills and foster independence. They help practitioners and students follow a specific set of steps in the same order each and every time a skill is taught.
We get many questions about how to teach life skills. They can be overwhelming to teach. One reason may be because the task analyses for these skills can be very detailed. Our learners and their families may also go about these skills differently from each other. However, they don’t have to be intimidating. TA’s are essentially a sequence, or chain, of behaviors that lead to a certain outcome. Using a task analysis makes teaching the specific parts of each chain easier.
In this episode we discuss how to create a task analysis from scratch, different types of chaining, why chaining is important when teaching life skills, and how to use prompts to build independence.
Download our task analyses templates and get started creating them for your practice!
What’s Inside:
- How to create and teach task analyses.
- The different types of chaining.
- How to use prompts to build independence.
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