Running Head: CHAINING AND TASK ANALYSIS PROJECT 1

Chaining and Task Analysis Project

Hannah Silva

EDU 347
CHAINING AND TASK ANALYSIS PROJECT 2

Student Information

Bruce is an eleven year old white male who comes from an extremely rural area of Scio,

Ohio. Bruce has three sisters and two brothers, all of which live at home with Bruce’s mom who

is divorced with joint custody. Their home is a small trailer with few bedrooms and small

quarters within. Although Bruce comes to class clean and fed, the home environment is not all to

be desired. He often comes in with signs of physical abuse and has many aggressive responses to

certain behaviors that remind him of home. Bruce’s diagnosed disability is autism, falling in a

moderate level on the spectrum. Bruce receives speech and language services, physical therapy,

and occupational therapy throughout the week at the school. He is also in a separate classroom

with one other fifth grade boy with moderate autism. They have times for interaction with peers

and are incorporated into general education classrooms as much as possible, but due to their

needs, they often spend a majority of their time in the special education teacher’s classroom.

Bruce enjoys a wide variety of things that included mermaids, candy, roller coasters, iPads, scary

movies, gymnastics, and anything ”creepy”.

Bruce has been at the current school for over five years and it appears that he will stay as

long as possible. He also receives support from a paraeducator in addition to the Intervention

Specialist and Special Education teachers. Bruce does experience complications with anger

issues and has also been receiving inconsistent medication doses, which has a large impact on his

time at school. This anger often takes form of defiance which often hinders time set aside for

learning. However, the teachers seem to have created a number system that works fairly

effectively for both students.

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Targeted Task

The task that the student is working on is shoe tying. Forward chaining is the process that

is being used to help with this skill. This way is most preferable because, according to Chazin,

Bartelmay, Lambert, and Juarez, forward chaining and backwards chaining create an atmosphere

of errorless chaining (2017). The student should be able to tie his shoe with no prompts, verbal

or physical, in one of three trials by following the chaining tasks. This task is important for the

student to learn for many different reasons. According to Rayner, “typically developing

individuals usually develop the cognitive and fine motor skills necessary to tie a shoelace knot

by about the age of 5 years.” (p. 345). However, Bruce has been struggling with this task for his

entire life. The student’s mom has especially been struggling with this task for a considerable

amount of time and approached the teachers about practicing this throughout the school day.

Although shoe tying may seem simple, for Bruce it is a necessary skill due to his love of the

outdoors and gymnastics. It would also assist the teachers who have been struggling with

constantly having to tie Bruce’s shoes for him. Prior to the chaining, the teachers had been

working on teaching Bruce how to tie shoes with his Occupational Therapist and in the

classroom. They had been using cardboard cut outs of shoes that had laces woven throughout,

like an actual shoe. This skill will improve Bruce’s functional performance through learned

independence and will give him a sense of accomplishment and confidence.

This skill improves the student’s independence because it is a concrete life skill that is

crucial in not only his cognitive abilities, but also his fine motor skills. Developing these fine

motor skills will aid him in his long term goal, which is to be a gymnast. It also improves the

student’s quality of life because it is a task that he will no longer need teachers or parents to

assist with. This skill can be generalized across environments through its development of fine
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motor skills in Bruce. The teachers hope that the development of this skill will help Bruce’s

ability to hold his pencil and make smaller letters, strengthen his grip on playground equipment,

and will also carry over into adulthood with cooking and cleaning. This skill is identified as a

short term goal within a long term goal because it is a small step but will greatly benefit Bruce

throughout his future.

Task Analysis

Task analysis is a process in which a small task is broken down into simple steps for

students who may need practice in order to accomplish a task. According to Blair, Weiss, &

Ahearn, (2018) a behavioral chain is composed of discrete units of observable and measurable

behavior. In order to run a chain properly, each “unit” needs to be conducted in specific steps

and throughout several sessions. Task analysis takes a few major steps and breaks them down

into smaller pieces that are easier for students to comprehend and follow. In Bruce’s case, some

of the major steps are crossing the laces, putting the ends through the loop, and pulling it tight.

Prior to learning the task, the student needs to have a development of fine motor skills

and the ability to follow steps while memorizing the order. Some challenges that the student

may encounter with this skill is lack of coordination and motor skills. If the student cannot have

full control of their fingers, it may prove difficult to accomplish the small parts of tying shoes,

like putting loops through the hole. A way of supporting this problem could be to have different

colored shoe laces and putting an object in the main hole of the laces so that the student only has

to put the loops through without having to hold something else. The student may also have

trouble recalling all of the steps in order which may inhibit their ability to properly tie a shoe.

Some supports may be made for the student is a list of the steps or a “how to” video that outlines

the steps, so that the student can perform in conjunction.

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Data is collected on this task analysis in ten sessions with three rounds of practice within.

The student is recorded on whether or not they need a prompt, or if they do, what prompt is used.

The main prompts used in this session are verbal (V), partial physical (PP), and full physical

(FP). If the student can perform the task on their own, the chart is marked as independent (I).

These prompts are used to function as stimulus prompts for accurate responses in academics

(McCormas, & Wacker, 1996). The data is collected four times a day in sessions scattered

through the morning rotations within school.

Table 1: A table showing the steps taken in the task analysis and chaining project. Each letter

stands for prompts. Independent (I), verbal (V), partial physical (PP), and full physical (FP) were

the prompts used in this task analysis.

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Chaining Procedures

According to Shrestha and Anderson (2013), forward chaining is an alternative method

for teaching complicated behaviors that can be broken down into a series of smaller steps. In

forward chaining, the first step of a task analysis is taught first followed by each succeeding step,

requiring the cumulative performance of all the previous steps in the correct order until the

learner performs the whole chain of tasks independently (Cooper et al. 2007). Typical chaining

procedures begin with a series of baseline data, where the observer watches the student perform

the task a certain number of times before intervention. This also allows for the observer to assess

how much the student can perform individually without any prompts or assistance. This baseline

data is then used to decide what chaining procedure should be used and what order the steps

should be in. There are several different types of chaining procedures that could be used. Some

of these include backward chaining and forward chaining. Backward chaining is simply

performing the steps from the last step to the first, showing the student how to do each step

beforehand. Forward chaining is the opposite, where all of the steps are performed in order.

Which chaining procedure to use depends on the task that is being taught.

To teach shoe tying, the best chaining method to use is forward chaining. Although it can

be used backwards, it all depends on the student. The student that this skill is being taught to has

problems remembering steps in the right order, so the forward chaining is being used to help him

recall steps. He also struggles with fine motor skills, so the forward chaining may be simpler to

work with because it is more straightforward in its steps. The student has also been practicing

with his shoe tying, so teaching the steps backwards is not preferable as it may confuse him.

The reinforcement that is implemented is positive reinforcement, or the occurrence of a

behavior that is followed by a stimulus and results in the behavior becoming stronger
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(Miltenberger, R.G. 2016). Positive reinforcement is provided after the sessions are completed

for the day, which is about four sessions with three trials in each. At the end of all four sessions,

the student receives any candy of his choosing from a communal candy jar in the classroom. The

one candy that works best as reinforcement for this student is sour gummy candies, so a large

supply is constantly kept in the classroom.

Results

Table 2: An AB design of information from a student learning steps to tie his shoe through task

analysis and chaining. The phase line defines where the intervention took place. This chart is

measuring the number of sessions in which the chaining occurred.

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Table 3: A bar graph of the number of times the prompts were used over the number of sessions.

The blue represent the amount of independent work and the orange represents how many

prompts were used.

Future Recommendations

For Bruce’s future recommendation in relation to his task analysis, I would recommend

continuing practicing with shoe tying. Even though our time together is over, Bruce still

struggles with completing the task. I believe that a new strategy for teaching Bruce how to tie his

shoes should be implemented. While reviewing the data, it is easily noticeable that his ability did

not fall but also did not rise as it should. I believe the student can improve greatly through

practicing this skill at least twice a day. This continued and consistent practice will not only help

him memorize the steps, but also help muscle memory in his fingers. After this has been

accomplished, I believe that the student should move to more self-help skills, such as buttoning
CHAINING AND TASK ANALYSIS PROJECT 9

his shirts and zipping his coat. I believe that his reinforcement could stay consistent, but possibly

limit the amount of candy that he is given. Instead of receiving one small bag each time he

finishes his chain, perhaps he could just have one individual candy.

Throughout the project, there were only a few speedbumps that I encountered. One was

extreme stubbornness on the side of the student. Bruce could be very stubborn when he wanted

to be and this made it difficult to work with him on certain days. Another challenge was all of the

distractions that were present in the classroom. Aside from the other student, teachers were

constantly coming and going which caught Bruce’s attention. The last major challenge I

encountered was in creating the bar graph for the paper. I was confused on how to structure it

and input information into the bar graph, but after a good amount of time I was able to figure it

out. Two things that I would do differently in the future for this project would be to conduct the

chaining in a consistent, separate space. This would help with all of the distractions encountered

in the main classroom. Another aspect I would change is the task itself. The teachers and OT had

been working with Bruce for a long time with shoe tying, so certain steps were different and my

baseline data was also a tad different from what it would have been if I were the first person to

teach Bruce. Aside from these two things, everything else in this project went well.

An aspect from the project that went really well was actually building the reputation with

Bruce. Bruce and I developed a friendly relationship and he would show signs of excitement

when it was time to work together. Getting to know this student was definitely a highlight of my

time. Another aspect that I enjoyed was creating the graphs on Excel. I had never used Excel

before, so learning how to navigate it and use it was very helpful and enlightening. Overall, I

thoroughly enjoyed my time spent with Bruce over the course of this semester.
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Bibliography

Blair, B.J., Weiss, J.S., & Ahearn, W.h. (2018). A comparison of task analysis and training

procedures. Education and Treatment of Children, 41(3), 357-370.

Chazin, K.T., Bartelmay, D.N., Lambert, J.M., & Juarez, N.J.H. (2017). Brief report: Clustered

forward chaining with embedded mastery probes to teach recipe following. Department

of Special Education, Vanderbilt University, 47, 1249-1255.

McComas, J.J. & Wacker, D.P. (1996). Brief experimental analysis of stimulus prompts for

accurate responding on academic tasks in an outpatient clinic. Journal of Applied

Behavior Analysis, 29, 397-401.

Miltenberger, R.G. (2016). Behavior modifications: Principles and procedures. Boston, MA:

Cengage Learning.

Rayner, C. (2011). Teaching students with autism to tie a shoelace know using prompting and

backward chaining. Developmental Neurorehabilitation, 14(6), 339-347.

Shrestha, A., & Anderson, A. (2013). Using point-of-view video modeling and forward chaining

to teach a functional self-help skill to a child with autism. Journal of Behavioral

Education, 22, 157-167.

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1
Appendices

Task Analysis & Chaining Project

Review of Records
EDU 347

1. What items did you review (e.g., sample work, report card, progress reports, behavioral
records, IEP, BIP, FBA, anecdotal notes, etc.)?
- IEP.

2. Record information on the student’s current level of performance as it related to their

grades, goals, and current level of development.
- Functions at the grade of a second grade student.
- Poor reading.
- Adequate social skills.

3. Does the student receive any accommodations or modifications in the classroom or

during assessments?
- The student receives accommodations during assessments such as music, pencil grips,
sensory materials, and breaks.

4. How much of the school day does the student spend in the general education environment
per the IEP?
- The student spends 25% of his time in the general education classroom per his IEP.

5. Does the student have a completed FBA, BIP, or another behavior-specific plan?
- No.

6. After reviewing the information, what was most helpful and interesting? What impact,
guidance, or influence does it have on your chaining project?
- After reviewing the information, the IEP was the most helpful piece of information
related to this project. It was interesting to see a completed IEP put into practice in a
student and then work with the student through the semester. The information helped
to discover the specific needs that my student had and the things that needed to be
considered.

7. What additional information would you be interested in obtaining?

- I would be interested in learning more about the home life of my student. I feel like
knowing more would explain more about his behaviors and patterns of interaction.
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Task Analysis & Chaining Project

Teacher Interview
EDU 347

Student Pseudonym: Bruce

Grade: 5th

Age: 12

Environment: Urban Rural Suburban Other:

Parents/Guardians: Mom and Dad are divorced.

Siblings: Four siblings.

Current Grades in School: Low.

Present Level of Performance:

Reading: n/a

Spelling: n/a

Writing: n/a

Math: n/a

Any adaptations in place for taking assessments?

- The student receives accommodations during assessments such as music, pencil

grips, sensory materials, and breaks.
Academic Strengths:

- Reading comprehension and narration skills.

Academic Areas for Improvement:

- Reading, and Math.

Behavioral Strengths:
- Good manners.

Behavioral Areas for Improvement:

- Physical behavior and verbal aggression.

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Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)? Yes No

If Yes, please describe:

Describe the level of independent functional skills.

- Student can perform simple tasks like feeding himself, dressing himself, and
speaking with people.

Describe social skills and relationships with peers:

- Good relationship with classmate and other peers.

Describe organization and decision-making skills:

- Good decision making skills, knows what should or should not be done. However,
not very organized.

Describe things that he/she finds motivating and reinforcing:

- He finds candy, gymnastics, creepy movies, and mermaids motivating.

Goals or aspirations the parents have for their child for this school year:

- To be able to tie his shoes.

Additional Information: