Definition:
Prompt dependence comes when students need a prompt from a teacher or classroom aide in order to perform an academic, functional or vocational task.
Prompting is an important part of scaffolding success with special education students, starting small and working toward more complex academic, functional or vocational skills. Too often, students get stuck on the continuum of prompts at the verbal prompt level, and require the teacher to verbally direct them in order for them to complete the task or skill.
The most important way to successfully ween students from prompt dependency is to employ gestural prompts alongside the verbal prompts, then withdraw or fade, the prompts to finally leave only the gestural prompts, ending with independence.
Examples:
Rodney would sit and wait for Miss Eversham to tell him to start before he would begin the papers in his folder. Miss Eversham realized that Rodney had developed prompt dependency, relying on her giving verbal prompts for him to complete his folder.
