Running head: TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 1

Task Analysis and Chaining Project

Franciscan University of Steubenville

Anne Marie Evans

Fall 2019

EDU 347
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 2

Task Analysis and Chaining Project

Student Information

Johnny is an eighteen-year-old senior in high school, and he is a generally happy and

care-free young man. He is Caucasian, and he lives with his father, mother, older brother, and

younger sister. They live on a rural property and both of his parents work. Johnny has been

diagnosed with Down Syndrome, and he spends the majority of his day in a life-skills classroom

at the local high school. He receives speech therapy in a small group setting for a total of sixty

minutes every month.

Johnny’s main focus in school right now is life skills because he is graduating at the end

of this school year and he would like to get a job after graduation. Academically he is doing well

and receiving As and Bs when completing work at his level. He does best when he receives one-

on-one instruction. Although his speech is limited, he is very social and understands social cues.

He is empathetic and his best friend is in class with him. They have conversations that they

thoroughly enjoy, even though few words are spoken. Their interactions are inspiring to watch

because they care for each other like brothers and help each other when needed.

Targeted Task

Because Johnny was preparing to get a job after graduation, the task he learned relates to

job skills he could use in the workplace. His teacher recommended that he learn how to clean

the equipment in the gym. This is a skill that he can use to get a job in the future, and he enjoyed

completing the task. Johnny already had all the prerequisite skills prior to instruction on the task,

but he did not clean the equipment thoroughly and would forget that certain parts needed to be

wiped down. Because this task was chosen as a job-related skill, it is important to make sure that

he understands that the work he does should be done thoroughly without skipping parts.
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 3

Cleaning the equipment involves spraying it with cleaning solution then wiping it down

with a cloth. The particular exercise equipment chosen for this task was an exercise bike. This

particular piece of equipment has several different parts that should be wiped down, so the task

had several stages that needed to be completed.

Task Analysis

In order to teach Johnny to clean the whole exercise bike properly, a task analysis is

beneficial. The purpose of a task analysis is to identify the necessary steps and order in a task

and to develop operational definitions so that the task can be objectively identified as completed

(Shrestha, Anderson, & Moore, 2013). Creating a task analysis is the first step in teaching a

chaining procedure because it identifies the steps necessary for the task to be considered

completed (Miltenberger, 2016). The steps Johnny must complete to clean an exercise bike are as

follows:

Task: Cleaning an Exercise Bike

1. Hold the cloth and spray bottle.

2. Spray the seat two times.

3. Wipe the left side of the seat with the cloth.

4. Wipe the right side of the seat with the cloth.

5. Spray the right handle two times.

6. Wipe the upper right handle with the cloth.

7. Move the cloth down along the handle all the way to the lower part of the handle.

8. Spray the left handle two times.

9. Wipe the upper left handle with the cloth.

10. Move the cloth down along the handle all the way to the lower part of the handle.
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 4

11. Spray the screen and buttons two times.

12. Wipe the screen and buttons with the cloth.

Figure 1: This is an example of the task analysis used for this project.

This task analysis was created by both examining the equipment and watching Johnny

complete the task to the best of his abilities without any instruction. Johnny already possessed

all the prerequisite skill to complete this task. He could hold the cloth and spray bottle, and he

could use the cloth to wipe each part of the machine as directed. Data was collected through

direct observation of the student. Johnny completed the task three times a day on two separate

days of the week. If he completed a step in the chain with no prompting, he would receive an “I”

next to that step. For verbal prompts a “v” was used, and a “g” was used for gestural prompts.

This way his progress in completing the steps with and without prompting could be thoroughly

recorded.

Chaining Procedure

The task analysis is then used to inform the chaining procedure. Chaining is an

instructional method which can be used to teach a task by breaking it down into small pieces

through a task analysis and teaching each part separately. There are three types of chaining,

forward, backward, and total task. Forward chaining involves teaching the first step of the task

to mastery, the point of independence, then moving on to the next step in the sequence, and

continuing this pattern until all of the steps are mastered (Slocum & Tiger, 2011). Backward

chaining involves teaching the last step in the sequence to mastery first, then successively

teaching earlier steps until the whole sequence can be completed independently (Slocum &

Tiger, 2011). Total task chaining is completed by teaching each step of the chain in every

session and prompting the student to the degree necessary to ensure they complete each step
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 5

correctly. The aid given is then gradually reduced until the student can complete each step

correctly without aid or prompting (Miltenberger, 2016).

The chaining procedure used to teach Johnny to clean an exercise bike was total task

analysis. This particular type of chaining was chosen because He already knew how to complete

all the steps but he would forget some steps every time. Johnny was already physically and

mentally capable of completing all the steps, he just needed to learn how to string them all

together to clean the bike well. Minimal teaching was required, so prompting and fading was the

option that best respected his current ability and helped him achieve independence

(Miltenberger, 2016). Because one of Johnny’s goals was to learn work skills, this method also

was most similar to the way he might be instructed to complete a task in the future. This also

impacted the reinforcement chosen. The reinforcement chosen was a high-five combined with

behavior specific praise. A high-five was selected because in the work environment this is the

most likely type of reinforcement he will receive, and simulating a work environment coincides

with his goals. This reinforcement was given at the completion of each chaining session.

Results

Johnny quickly learned the steps that he needed to complete in order to consider the

exercise bike clean. He was always quick to respond to prompts and rarely needed further

explanation to complete the step. Graph 1 shows Johnny’s increasing independence in

completing the task.

TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 6

Cleaning An Exercise Bike

12 Intervention
Baseline
Number of Steps Completed

10

8
Independently

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
Sessions

Graph 1: This graph displays the number of steps Johnny completed independently each session.

This graph shows that Johnny’s independence was on an upward trend throughout the

chaining procedure. His last session of baseline was completed with much more independence

than the previous four, which is probably because he had started to learn the steps he needed to

do. The least number of steps completed independently was four steps, and the greatest number

of steps completed is eleven steps. The variability during base line was six while the variability

during intervention was four. The level of independently completed steps increased from

baseline to intervention. This shows that he made improvements over the course of the chaining

procedure. The only overlap between baseline and intervention was the last data point of

baseline. This seems to be an unusual session as it does not follow the trend of the other data

points. This may be because it was the second time that day that he completed the chaining

procedure and he was more thorough than normal. The one step that Johnny never mastered

was spraying the seat two times. He would spray the seat, but then he would continue to spray

the seat up to six or seven times. This step was considered incorrect even though he technically
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 7

was spraying the seat two times because in a work environment this would be considered

dangerous as the cleaning spray would pool up on the floor.

The upward trend of the number of steps completed correctly shows that Johnny made

improvements and learned to complete almost the whole task without prompting. Johnny always

responded to prompts quickly and always worked without complaining. When he received

reinforcement, he gave a huge smile and a thumbs up. He was proud of the work he did and

enjoyed having someone tell him that his hard work was appreciated. He never failed to try his

best and complete the steps according to instruction. He really seemed to thrive on the one-on-

one attention he received during the chaining procedure. This is important because he will

graduate from high school this Spring and will be looking to get a job. A good work-attitude is

important in the work place, and having a certain level of intrinsic motivation is important as

well because there will not always be people there to give reinforcement. Johnny demonstrated

that he has the skills he needs to be taught how to complete a simple cleaning task for a job.

Graph 2 shows the number and types of prompts that were needed to get Johnny to

complete each step correctly in each session. The more steps that are completed independently,

the closer he is to mastering the task. This graph shows that the need for gestural prompts

decreased rather quickly: they were not needed at all in the last two sessions, and only once in

the last eight combined. The need for verbal prompts also decreased throughout the chaining

procedure. This graph shows that Johnny responded well to the prompts and needed less

prompting as he mastered more steps.

TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 8

Types of Prompts Used

12

10

0
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Independent Verbal Gestural

Graph 2: This graph demonstrates what types of prompts were used and in what amount to get

Johnny to complete the steps correctly each session. Independent means that he completed the

step without prompting.

Future Recommendations

Through the learning of this task analysis, Johnny demonstrated that he is ready to get a

job and learn specific tasks that will be required of him. He should continue to practice this task

about once a week to remember the steps correctly. Moving forward, Johnny should be taught

work skills in other environments to help him learn to generalize those skills. A good place to

start would be to learn how to clean other exercise equipment. After that he could learn cleaning

skill in other areas, such as a cafeteria or store. He could also be taught other skills like stocking

shelves if that is something he wants to learn for a future job. I was not informed as to what type

of job he currently desires to get after he graduates, but next semester would be a good time to

figure that out and have discussions with his parents and his transition coordinator so that he can

learn the skills he will need for his desired job. It might also be a good idea to teach Johnny that

work is a way to earn money and money can be used to buy things. Using this alternative
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 9

reinforcement would help him transition to the workforce and understand that what he is doing is

important and has value.

Creating the task analysis and watching Johnny complete the task before instruction

really made me think about which steps it was important to have him complete the way that I

would and which ones I should let him continue doing the way he already was. For example, he

would spray the equipment and then wipe it with the cloth, but I would have sprayed the cloth

and then wiped the equipment. In the end I decided that it was not necessary to do it my way and

I made the task analysis to fit the way he was already doing it.

I was surprised at how quickly Johnny learned the task and how difficult it was to take

the data as he was cleaning while also being ready to prompt him when needed. Sometimes he

would start the next step before I was ready, or he would skip a step and I had to prompt him to

go back and do the step he missed so that he would complete each step. Toward the end I got

better at recording the information quickly while being more aware of what he was doing so that

I could use verbal prompts quickly and keep him from skipping a step. In the future I would

probably set a specific amount of time to wait between the completion of one step and prompting

the next step. A three second interval probably would have been good. Although Johnny did

learn quickly with the reinforcement I used, he might have enjoyed it more if I had used some

form of tangible reinforcement. I was very torn in making the decision to use minimal

reinforcement, but because I wanted to help him prepare for a work environment, I felt it was the

right choice. Looking back though, I think I would use something tangible at least in the

beginning to help him connect the tangible reinforcement to the verbal reinforcement.

One aspect that went really well was the time in which I did the chaining project. I did

the project during gym because the exercise equipment was in the room just up the stairs from
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 10

the main gym area. This worked out really well because Johnny would usually sit down part

way through gym, and doing cleaning kept him on his feet and doing something. He also really

enjoyed the one-on-one attention that he got for doing the chaining. Another thing that was very

rewarding for me was seeing him complete the whole task with only one prompt. I was so proud

of him, both for learning the task, and for working hard. It is also really neat to think about the

way that he can use this skill in the future to get a job and the huge difference this can make in

his life.
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 11

Bibliography

Bancroft, S. L., Weiss, J. S., Libby, M. E., & Ahearn, W. H. (2011). A comparison of procedural

variations in teaching behavior chains: Manual guidance, trainer completion, and no

completion of untrained steps. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44(3), 559-569.

Chazin, K. T., Bartelmay, D. N., Lambert, J. M., & Houchins-Juárez, N. J. (2017). Brief report:

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

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(4), 1249-1255.

Miltenberger, R. G. (2016). Behavior modification: Principles and procedures (6th ed.). Boston,

MA: Cengage Learning.

Shrestha, A., Anderson, A., & Moore, D. W. (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(2), 157-167.

Slocum, S. K., & Tiger, J. H. (2011). An assessment of the efficiency of and child preference for

forward and backward chaining. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 44(4), 793-805.
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 12

Appendices

Appendix A: Data Collection Sheet:

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Appendix B: Review of Records:

1. What items did you review (e.g., sample work, report card, progress reports, behavioral
records, IEP, BIP, FBA, anecdotal notes, etc.)?
 Individualized Education Program (IEP)
2. Record information on the student’s current level of performance as it related to their
grades, goals, and current level of development.
 Reading B
 Math B
 Science C
 Social Studies/Life Skills B
 Transition to Work A
 Alternate Assessment in 10th grade (Math 417 Proficient) (Reading 411 Basic)
(Science 389 Basic) (Social Studies/Citizenship 410 Proficient)
 1st grade reading level SFA story #14 75%-95% on weekly vocab tests
 Handwriting poor, typing for spelling tests, 2nd grade, As and Bs.
 Math-telling time by hour and half hour-place value using ones, tens, and
hundreds-adding and subtracting with a calculator-identifying coins, 1s, and 5s
 Needs to work of stopping the behavior of touching himself inappropriately
because he cannot do it during a job.
 Working in a Transition to Work Program at the school, taking interest
inventories to decide future employment options.
 Reading texts with 80% accuracy
3. Does the student receive any accommodations or modifications in the classroom or
during assessments?
Accommodations

 Extended time
 Small group setting
 Reader
 Calculator
 Manipulatives
 Number line
 Computer programs
 Visual, verbal, and physical prompting
 Highlighting
 Peer tutoring
 Frequent breaks
Modifications

 Teacher-made tests including oral testing

 Using a shortened version of test
 Multiple choice
 Bigger spaced paper provided for tests and worksheets
TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 14

 Typing
Testing

 Alternate Assessment for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

(AASCD)
 Has minimal independence with writing and cognitive activities, has language
delay, so regular assessment would be a reflection of his abilities.
4. How much of the school day does the student spend in the general education environment
per the IEP?
 Due to his below academic performance and language, he will receive his
academic education services in a Multi-handicap classroom which is the least
restrictive environment for him.
 Gym is special ed
 Lunch is general ed
 At least 60% according to IEP
5. Does the student have a completed FBA, BIP, or another behavior-specific plan?
 Yes, he has a BIP to help him stop the behavior of touching himself
inappropriately.
6. After reviewing the information, what was most helpful and interesting? What impact,
guidance, or influence does it have on your chaining project?
 It was helpful that his goals for future work plans were in the IEP because the task
I am teaching him will be one that he can use in a future job. It confirms that
cleaning gym equipment is a good skill for him to learn because he will be
transitioning to a job in less than a year. His typical reward is to watch videos for
completing his work. This is not something that I can use as immediate
reinforcement, but maybe I can use a token reward system if needed and have him
earn computer time.
7. What additional information would you be interested in obtaining?
 I would be interested to know if he and his parents have been actively searching
for a future job for him. If he had a specific job in mind, it would influence the
set of skills he needs to learn and could change the type or amount of time spent
on job skills.

Appendix C: Teacher Interview

Student Pseudonym: Johnny

Grade: 12

Age: 18

Environment: Rural

Parents/Guardians: Mom + Dad, both work

TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 15

Siblings: 1 older brother 1 younger sister

Current Grades in School:

A’s and B’s – he does very well completing assignments on his level. He thrives off one-on-
one attention.

Present Level of Performance:

Reading: 1st grade

Spelling: 1st grade

Writing: 1st grade

Math: 2nd grade

Any adaptations in place for taking assessments?

Johnny takes alternate assessments.

Academic Strengths:
Working one-on-one and reading sight words.

Academic Areas for Improvement:

Life skills for post-graduation.

Behavioral Strengths:
Kind, helpful, thrives one-on-one
Behavioral Areas for Improvement:
Keeping hands off inappropriate areas.

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)?

No

Describe the level of independent functional skills.

Low-functioning – working to improve cleaning skills.

Describe social skills and relationships with peers:

Very social, has empathy, limited conversational ability, understands and knows social
cues.

Describe organization and decision-making skills:

Poor organization skills.
Good decision skills for level of functioning.

Describe things that he/she finds motivating and reinforcing:

TASK ANALYSIS AND CHAINING 16

Loves iPad and Big Time Rush

Loves puzzles

Goals or aspirations the parents have for their child for this school year:
Become more independent and gain work skills.