Running Head: TASK ANALYSIS & CHAINING PROJECT 1

Task Analysis & Chaining Project

Caeli Welker
EDU 347
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Student Information

Alex is the only child to his mother and father who care for him lovingly. The family has

a low income, but are able to support themselves and Alex in his education and his special needs.

When Alex was six-years-old, he qualified for an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) under the

disability of emotional disturbance. As explained in his IEP, Alex’s behavioral issues were so

severe that they directly hindered his ability to learn. When Alex was in first grade, he often

displayed problem behaviors that interfered with his learning, such as crying often, yelling,

throwing himself on the ground, and hitting himself. It was discovered that Alex had an

emotional disturbance. He was then provided medication to help stabilize his emotions, and an

IEP was created. Since he is now medicated and provided with an IEP, Alex’s behavior is more

stable. His emotional outbursts have been limited to once or twice a week, and he is given

specialized instruction in all academic areas in a special education classroom.

Despite his disability, Alex is a generally cheerful boy who enjoys socializing with his

peers and talking about his hobbies. He performs well in his class, and is in fact one of the

higher achieving students. He excels at reading and is often aiding his peers in group activities.

While he generally performs well during one subject at a time, he has a hard time transitioning

between one activity to another. He must be given plenty of warning before a transition occurs.

Additionally, routines are something with which he struggles. He is very disorganized;

therefore, he sees no purpose to routines besides the fact that they force him to be more

organized, which he very adamantly does not want to be.

Targeted Task
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The task chosen for Alex was his morning routine. Each morning, Alex was required to

complete certain steps in order to be ready for the day. While Alex’s peers had no trouble

completing the routine, Alex struggled with it each morning. The morning routine is as follows:

each student was to walk into the classroom quietly and prepare for the day by hanging up

his/her backpack, turning in homework, and beginning his/her morning work. This work usually

consisted of writing the spelling words which were displayed on the whiteboard. However, in

Alex’s case, the last step of his morning routine was to sit quietly and play on an Ipad for fifteen

minutes. The purpose of this morning routine was to help the students to organize themselves,

focus their minds, and prepare themselves for the day. Because Alex was unable to complete the

task, he was unorganized and unfocused, causing him to fall behind in his work. Additionally,

he was a distraction to the other students, which caused the rest of the class to lose their focus.

The reason this task was chosen was because Alex’s unorganized behavior and unfocused

mind were detrimental to his learning experience. While the rest of the class would be starting a

new subject, Alex would be wandering around the room talking to his peers and/or attempting to

find his pencil from his backpack, which he had dropped where ever he thought convenient that

morning. In order for Alex to start off his day correctly so that he could have a successful school

day, he had to learn the functional skill of completing his morning routine. This task is a

short-term goal for Alex, as his morning routine is bound to change year to year. However,

teaching Alex the task and teaching him the diligence to do it will have long-term benefits,

including an understanding of the purpose of starting the day off correctly as well as how to be

organized and follow step by step instructions.

Task Analysis
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The task analysis was an essential part of this project as it defined the step-by-step

procedure of completing the morning routine in Alex’s classroom. A task analysis is a list of

steps that make up a skill or procedure and is used to help teach how to complete that skill

(Snodgrass, Meadan, Ostrosky, & Cheung, 2017). When using a task analysis, one must be sure

to observe the task being completed in the same environment in which it will be taught

(Miltenberger, 2016). For example, when writing the task analysis for Alex’s morning routine,

his classmates were observed as they completed the skill in order to have an accurate task

analysis that contained all of the necessary steps. Additionally, one must also consider that

changes will most likely have to be made to the original task analysis in order to meet the

individual needs of the student (Miltenberger, 2016). Some steps may need to be broken down

further or two steps may be able to be combined. After Alex’s classmates were observed, the

task analysis was written, revised, and written again. The final task analysis was finally ready to

be used to collect baseline data. The task analysis used for Alex’s morning routine was as

follows:

Task Analysis: Morning Routine

1. Enter classroom quietly

2. Go to desk

3. Take school materials out of backpack

4. Bring backpack to hanger

5. Hang up backpack

6. Go back to desk

7. Get homework

8. Put homework in homework bin

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9. Get iPad

10. Sit quietly with iPad

Figure 1.​ Task analysis of Alex’s morning routine.

Data was collected on the task analysis across two days and five 5-minute sessions. At

the beginning of each session, Alex was told to complete his morning routine. As he completed

it, the observer marked down the step as “Independent,” if Alex was able to complete the step

with no prompt. If Alex did require assistance, the observer provided a verbal prompt to help

him complete the step, and the step was marked as “Verbal Prompt.” At the end of each session,

Alex was rewarded by being able to play on an iPad for five minutes. Challenges concerning

Alex’s impatience and desire to use the iPad were foreseen. It was established ahead of time that

Alex would only be permitted to use the iPad at the end of each 5-minute session and only if he

completed ten out of ten steps of the task analysis, whether prompted or independent.

Chaining Procedure

Chaining procedures are used to teach multi-step tasks via a task analysis and to teach

each of the steps to achieve mastery using prompting and reinforcement (Slocum & Tiger, 2011).

There are three types of chaining procedures: forward chaining, backward chaining, and total

task chaining. With forward chaining, the first step of a task analysis is taught first so that the

student may learn it independently, and then the entire task analysis is completed, allowing the

student to complete the first, independent step and be prompted through the rest of the steps

(Shrestha, Anderson, & Moore, 2013). Each step following the first is taught until the student

can complete it independently until he/she is able to complete the whole task on his/her own.

Backward chaining is similar to forward chaining, but instead of starting with the first step, the
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student is taught the last step first and learns the task backwards. While forward and backward

chaining focus on teaching one step at a time, in total task chaining, the entire task is completed

and prompted through during each session (Miltenberger, 2016). Because of this, total task

chaining is usually not appropriate for long and complex chains (Chazin, Bartelmay, Lambert, &

Houchins-Juárez, 2017).

Alex’s task analysis for his morning routine was short, consisting of only ten steps.

Additionally, Alex had plenty of prior knowledge concerning the task. He knew that it was a

task that was completed each morning, and he had witnessed his peers successfully carry out the

task many times. For Alex, some steps were easier than others. For example, he knew that the

first thing to do after he entered the classroom, was to go to his desk. He completed this step

independently almost 100% of the time. Additionally, Alex was very familiar with the last step

of the task. Because of Alex’s knowledge of various steps within the task, the total task chaining

procedure was selected. With total task chaining, Alex could be prompted through the entire

task at each session. The steps he could accomplish independently were not prompted. This

procedure allowed Alex to receive reinforcement at then end of each task completion, which was

playing on his iPad for 2 minutes. The use of the iPad had prior been proven to be a great

reinforcer for Alex, so its use as a reinforcer was continued within the intervention. The

interventionist carried out ten total task chaining sessions with Alex over the course of two days.

Results
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Figure 2. A ​ B graph showing Alex’s baseline ability to complete his morning routine and the
results of his ability following intervention.

The above graph depicts Alex’s progress over the course of the fifteen sessions. Total

task chaining had a positive effect on Alex’s ability to complete his morning routine. The first

five sessions were merely baseline, no intervention was used. Alex was observed as he

attempted to complete the task, and he was verbally prompted if he was unable to complete a

step independently. The last ten sessions were the results of Alex completing the task after he

had engaged in total task chaining. Using the iPad as reinforcement for Alex worked perfectly.

He was able to focus on the total task chaining, because he understood he would have the chance

to spend a few minutes on the iPad after the chain was complete. Looking at the data, one can

clearly see that during the collection of baseline, Alex required 50%-60% of the steps to be

prompted in order for him to complete the task. By the end of the sessions, Alex required little
TASK ANALYSIS & CHAINING PROJECT 8

to no prompting. The last and the second to last session required zero prompting; Alex was able

to complete the task independently 100% of the time.

Future Recommendations

Moving forward, Alex should be held to the standard that he has achieved. He has

proven able to complete the task with zero prompting. Therefore, prompting should not be given

unless absolutely necessary. His classroom teacher should remind him weekly and when

necessary the importance of completing his morning routine. In order for him to be motivated to

complete the task, he must understand its purpose and its benefits as often as possible.

Additionally, the iPad may continue as a useful reinforcer for him to complete the task.

However, it would be ideal if Alex could be weaned off of his dependency of the device so that

he can display internal motivation. This concept should be explored more deeply in the future.

This project proved to be more difficult than expected in a number of ways. First of all,

writing the task analysis was a challenge. I had to rewrite it for various reasons, including a

change in the routine and revising it to meet Alex’s needs. For example, Alex’s routine was

slightly different than that of his peers because he was permitted to play on an iPad for fifteen

minutes as a part of his morning routine. Another challenge of this project was trying to find a

space where I could complete the chaining portion. Because Alex’s task was so specific to the

environment of his classroom, it seemed the obvious choice to do the chaining in his classroom.

However, this proved to be a very intrusive distraction to the other students. I decided to create a

type of environment that resembled Alex’s classroom in the hallway. This proved most

effective, and Alex was able to successfully visualize how everything looked in this hallway

setting. In the future, I would take more time to observe the task before writing the analysis in
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order to prevent so many revisions. Additionally, I would spend more time on determining

where to complete the chaining and how it would play out. The actual carrying out of the

chaining procedure went very well. Alex was very cooperative, and the reinforcement was just

enough to encourage him to stay focused and do his best. Overall, this project was very

beneficial for me, and I am glad to have had the opportunity.

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Bibliography

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​. United States:
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.

Snodgrass, M. R., Meadan, H., Ostrosky, M. M., & Cheung, W. C. (2017). One step at a time:
Using task analyses to teach skills. ​Early Childhood Education Journal​, ​45​(6), 855–862.
TASK ANALYSIS & CHAINING PROJECT 11

Appendices

A. Teacher observation form

Teacher Interview Document

Student Pseudonym: ​Alex

Grade: ​3rd

Age: ​8

Environment: Urban Rural Suburban

Parents/Guardians: ​He lives with his mother and father

Siblings: ​He is an only child

Current Grades in School: ​Alex is at the top of his special education class. He excels in
almost every subject except math and spelling.

Present Level of Performance:

Reading: For his special educations classroom, Alex performs at the top of his
class. He does very well in reading and often aids his peers in this
subject.

Spelling: Spelling is one of Alex’s weaker points. He is not the best at it, but he
still performs better than his peers and is almost at the average level.

Writing: Alex is great at forming his own ideas and getting them down on
paper with little to no assistance. He can write in coherent complete
sentences though his spelling needs some work.

Math: Math is another one of Alex’s weaker subjects. While he does perform
better than his peers in the special education classroom, he is still
below average and becomes easily frustrated with math.

Any adaptations in place for taking assessments?

Yes, restated/clarified instruction, tests are read aloud, use of a number line, verbal cues,
and he sometimes permitted to answer a question verbally.

Academic Strengths:
His strengths are reading and writing.
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Academic Areas for Improvement:

He could use more support in spelling and math.

Behavioral Strengths:
He is very friendly and loves to socialize with his peers.

Behavioral Areas for Improvement:

If he is off of his medication, the smallest inconvenience can cause him to be emotionally
distressed and throw a tantrum, such as yelling, crying, and throwing himself on the
ground.

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)? Yes No

If Yes, please describe:

N/A

Describe social skills and relationships with peers:

He is very friendly and loves to socialize with his peers.

Describe organization and decision-making skills:

He is very disorganized. He often comes to school without his backpack. He does not
understand the importance of being organized and starting off the day correctly in order to
have a successful day at school.

Describe things that he/she finds motivating and reinforcing:

He greatly enjoys playing on the Ipad. It is a great motivator for him. Praise is also very
reinforcing to him.

B. Student observation form

Observation Document

1. How does the student interact socially in the class?

a. Alex is very social. he loves talking all of the time. Any free chance he has he
will spend talking to the teacher and talking to his peers. He loves telling
stories. He also tends to make his opinion heard. Even if the teacher does not
call on him to answer a questions posed to the class, he often answers anyway.
He has a hard time keeping to himself when he is surrounded by his peers.

2. How does the student respond to complete academic work?

a. Alex is very smart. He excels at almost all of his subjects. When given an
assignment, he is much better working independently than with a group. When
Alex works in a group setting, he tends to become distracted and simply want to
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make conversation with his peers. Additionally, he believes he is always right,

which causes him to get into disagreements with his peers when they are
working together.
b. However, when Alex has not received his daily medication, he can be
unpredictable. If he is off his medication, his emotions are all over the place and
he reacts strongly to the most simple things. If he has to do something he is not
interested in doing, he will throw a tantrum by yelling, crying, falling on the
ground, and hitting himself.

3. How would you describe the student’s strength and areas of need relative to behavior?
a. Alex is very friendly and can get along with almost anyone. He is a very happy
kid most of the time, and his intentions are pure. However, he talks out of turn
constantly in class. He is never silent. He often interrupts instruction time
because he talks so much and does not wait to be called on. Additionally, when
he does not take his medication, he reacts strongly to anything that is aversive
to him. He will throw a tantrum by yelling, crying, falling on the ground, and
hitting himself.

4. If you have to pick 2 areas for academic and 2 areas for behavior to work on, what
would you suggest?
a. Academic:
i. Practicing his handwriting.
ii. Math
b. Behavioral
i. Lessen the frequency of his calling out
ii. Find strategies to help him gain control of himself when he is overcome
with emotion and throws a fit.

5. Do you think this student would benefit from accommodation during assessments? If
so, what would you recommend?
a. While most of his needs are behavioral, he requires aid in test taking. Tests
should be read aloud to him and he should not be judged too harshly on his
spelling.

6. What are some current modification and accommodation being implemented for this
student in the classroom?
a. There is a modification to his morning routine that makes his routine slightly
different than that of his peers. After he has unpacked and gotten ready for the
day, he is permitted to spend 15 minutes on an Ipad instead of complete the
morning spelling words. This does not interfere with his learning.
b. He is also has a seat that is by itself (the rest of the class sits at tables) to help
him focus on what he is doing so that he is not distracted by his peers.
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7. Does the student currently participate in any related services (e.g., speech and language
therapy, occupational therapy, vision support, hearing support, physical therapy,
nursing services, etc.)?
a. He does not.

8. Is there any other information about the student you feel is important to document?
a. No

C. Review of records form

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.)?
a. IEP

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

their grades, goals, and current level of development.
a. The IEP was created due to his behavioral issues that impede his learning.
b. He has outbursts and tantrums (yelling, crying, screaming, falling on the
floor, hitting himself).
c. He has trouble with routines.
d. He excels at reading
e. He had speech therapy for a year but no longer requires it
f. All of his goals are focused on his behavior

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

or during assessments?
a. preferential seating, modeling, restated/clarified instruction, tests are read
aloud, use of a number line, verbal cues, warning time before transitions,
corrective feedback, extra practice, may verbally respond.

4. How much of the school day does the student spend in the general education
environment per the IEP?
a. He spends 100% of his school time in a special education classroom.
b. He receives 30 minutes a week of one-on-one time in reading, 20 minutes a
week in math, and 20 minutes a week of behavior intervention.

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

6. After reviewing the information, what was most helpful and interesting? What
impact, guidance, or influence does it have on your chaining project?
a. ESY services are not necessary for Alex.
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b. He requires no related services, nor assistive technology.

c. It was very surprising that he did not have an FBA, a BIP, or any form of a
behavior-specific plan besides his IEP.
d. The information in the IEP was very useful in helping me to determine
where he is academically and socially.

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

a. It would have been nice to see his progress reports and/or some anecdotal
notes. However, I was unable to attain the information.

D. Completed data collection forms (baseline & intervention)

Name: ​Alex

Target Skill: ​Morning Routine

BASELINE:
Time 8:30a 9:00a 9:45a 10:15a 8:30a
Steps of the
Session 1 2 3 4 5
Chain
Date 10/23 10/23 10/23 10/23 10/30
1. Enter classroom V V V V V
quietly
2. Go to desk I I I I I

3. Take school materials V, P I V V I

out of backpack
4. Bring backpack to V V V V V
hanger
5. Hang up backpack I V I I I

6. Go back to desk V V I V V

7. Get homework V I V I V

8. Put homework in I V V V V
homework bin
9. Get iPad I I I I I

10. Sit quietly with iPad V I V V I

TOTAL out of 10 4/10 5/10 4/10 4/10 5/10

(I=Independent, V=Verbal Prompt)

INTERVENTION:
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Time 8:30a 8:45a 9:00a 9:15a 9:30a

Steps of the Sessio 6 7 8 9 10
Chain n
Date 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/6
1. Enter classroom I I I I I
quietly
2. Go to desk I I I V V

3. Take school V I I V I
materials out of
backpack
4. Bring backpack to I I I I I
hanger
5. Hang up backpack I V I I I

6. Go back to desk I I I I V

7. Get homework V I I I I

8. Put homework in V I V I I
homework bin
9. Get iPad V V V I I

10. Sit quietly with I I I I I

iPad
TOTAL out of 10 6/10 8/10 8/10 8/10 8/10

(I=Independent, V=Verbal Prompt,)

Time 9:45a 10a 10:1 9:00 9:15

5
Steps of
Session 11 12 13 14 15
the Chain
Date 11/6 11/6 11/6 11/1 11/13
3
1. Enter classroom I V I I I
quietly
2. Go to desk I I I I I

3. Take school I I I V I
materials out of
backpack
4. Bring backpack to I I I I I
hanger
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5. Hang up backpack I I I I I

6. Go back to desk I I I I I

7. Get homework V I I I I

8. Put homework in I I I I I
homework bin
9. Get iPad I I I I I

10. Sit quietly with I I I I I

iPad
9/10 9/10 10/1 9/10 10/10
TOTAL out of 10
0
(I=Independent, V=Verbal Prompt,)