Maintenance of Learned Skills

Maintenance: Helping Students Retain Learned Skills

Objective

• Assist students in the continued use of learned skills.

Step 1: Determine Skill Maintenance

• Skills may be forgotten if not practiced regularly.
• To determine if a student is maintaining a skill:
  • Schedule follow-up testing sessions:
    • Once a week for the first few weeks.
    • Once a month after that.
• If the skill is not maintained, reteach the skill by reintroducing the lesson into the current list of lessons.

Step 2: Incorporate Learned Skills into Play Activities

• Example:
  • The teacher teaches the student to label occupations.
    • Teacher: "What does a barber do?"
    • Student: "Cuts hair."
  • Incorporate the skill into a play activity.
    • Teacher: "Andrew, can you be the barber?"
    • Student: "Yes."
    • Teacher: "What does a barber do?"
    • Student: "Cut hair."

Step 3: Incorporate Learned Skills into Real-Life Situations

• Example:
  • The teacher instructs the student to tie their shoe when it becomes untied during a game.
    • Teacher: "Demi, your laces are untied. Tell me."
    • Student: "Tie your shoe."

Step 4: Incorporate Learned Skills into More Complex Skills

• Example:
  • Incorporate a basic skill (labeling verbs) into a more complex skill (describing pictures).
    • Teacher: "What is he doing?"
    • Student: "Throwing."
    • Teacher: "Tell me about this picture."
    • Student: "The football player is throw the football."

Helpful Hints: Promoting Maintenance

• Use natural rewards that the student will encounter in daily life.
  • Examples: Praise and items related to the response.
• Example:
  • Teacher: "What do you do with the marker?"
  • Student: "I draw."
  • Reinforce with praise and the marker: "Good for you, you draw."

Summary

• Determine if the student is maintaining the skill.
• Incorporate the learned skill into play activities.
• Incorporate the learned skill in real-life situations.
• Incorporate the learned skill into more complex skills.