What is incidental teaching?
Incidental teaching is a technique used in some therapy and support programs for autistic children.
In incidental teaching, a therapist, teacher or parent creates or uses natural opportunities, like play or mealtimes, to help a child learn or practise skills. It’s a child-led approach, which means it follows a child’s interests to motivate their learning.
Incidental teaching isn’t a therapy for autistic children in itself. It’s a general strategy used across many types of therapy and teaching.
Who is incidental teaching for?
Incidental teaching is typically used with preschool and school-age children, but it’s suitable for people of any age.
What is incidental teaching used for?
Incidental teaching is used to help children:
- learn and develop language, communication and motor skills
- transfer skills from one situation to another
- start interactions with others, like asking questions or sharing something that interests them.
Where does incidental teaching come from?
Incidental teaching was originally used as part of the Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) approach in the 1970s.
It was developed as an alternative to traditional techniques like Discrete Trial Training (DDT), which teach skills in very controlled environments. Unlike those traditional techniques, incidental teaching is a naturalistic technique, which means it teaches skills in naturally occurring moments.
What is the idea behind incidental teaching?
Incidental teaching brings together a couple of key ideas:
- Children will learn better when they’re interested in what they’re learning.
- When skills are reinforced, children will use them more often.
In incidental teaching, teachers, therapists or parents use children’s interests to create opportunities for learning skills. Children learn skills that they’re interested in, which are reinforced or rewarded in naturalistic ways. For example, when a child learns a new skill like asking for what they want, they’re rewarded by getting the thing they’ve asked for.
What does incidental teaching involve?
Incidental teaching can be used often or occasionally. It depends on an individual child’s needs and goals.
It involves several steps.
1. Arrange the environment
Set up an interesting environment – for example, a play area with favourite objects or activities. Put motivating items where a child can see them but can’t reach them. For example, put a teddy on a shelf.
2. Wait for the child to lead
Wait for the child to be interested in the item. For example, they might look at it or gesture or point to it.
3. Prompt for skills
Prompt the child to say or communicate more. For example, ask ‘What do you want?’ or ‘Can you say “teddy”?’ Make sure that the child can communicate their needs or wants with words, gestures, signing or pictures. Give the child time to respond.
4. Reinforce the response
After the child responds by saying ‘teddy’ or using a sign or picture, reward the child by giving them the teddy.
Does incidental teaching help autistic children?
High-quality research shows that this approach has positive effects on autistic children’s skill development and behaviour.
Which professionals do incidental teaching?
Many professionals do incidental teaching, including occupational therapists, psychologists, special education teachers, speech pathologists and teacher aides.
Parents can learn to do incidental teaching too.
Where can you find a professional who does incidental teaching?
You can find professionals by going to:
- Australian Psychological Society – Find a psychologist
- Occupational Therapy Australia – Find an OT
- Speech Pathology Australia – Find a speech pathologist.
If you’re interested in incidental teaching, you could start by talking about it with your GP or one of the other professionals working with your child. You could also talk about it with your NDIA planner, early childhood partner or local area coordinator, if you have one.
How are parents involved in incidental teaching?
If your child is involved in a therapy that uses naturalistic techniques like incidental teaching, you’ll have an active role. For example, if your child is working with a speech pathologist or occupational therapist, they’ll probably ask you to use incidental teaching during everyday activities, like when you’re reading a story or going to the park. You might get some training, depending on the specific program.
Your involvement will vary depending on the program or service your child is using.
How much does incidental teaching cost?
The cost of incidental teaching depends on the type of therapy or support program in which they’re used. Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) programs that use incidental teaching might involve a lot of time and a high cost.
If you’re working with a speech pathologist or psychologist, some of your costs might be covered by Medicare. Some private health care funds might also cover a portion of the consultation fee. This can be claimed immediately if the provider has HICAPS.
You might be able to include the cost of learning and using incidental teaching in children’s NDIS plans. You can contact the NDIS to find out.
Therapies and supports for autistic children range from behavioural therapies and developmental approaches to medicines and alternative therapies. When you understand the main types of therapies and supports for autistic children, it’ll be easier to work out the approach that will best suit your child.