Explain forward chaining in teaching a multi-step task.

• A. Teach the entire task at once with prompts.
• B. Teach the first step first and progress sequentially, prompting as needed until independence.
• C. Teach the last step first and work backwards.
• D. Provide no prompts and rely on trial-and-error.

Answer: (B)

Forward chaining builds a multi-step task from the beginning. Start by teaching the first step and provide prompts as needed until the learner can complete that step independently. Once that first step is reliably mastered, add the second step and continue prompting for the first two steps as needed until both are done independently, then add the third step, and so on. This gradual addition creates a stable sequence and helps the learner experience success early, while prompts are faded over time to promote true independence. For example, when teaching someone to wash hands, you would begin with turning on the faucet, then once that’s mastered, you add soap and scrubbing, then rinsing, and finally turning off the faucet—each step built on the previous one until the whole routine is independent. This approach minimizes overwhelm and supports consistent, fluent performance, unlike trying to teach the entire task at once, which can be too much for the learner, or starting with later steps, which disrupts the natural order and understanding, or relying on trial-and-error with no prompts, which is inefficient and often ineffective for chaining behavior.