Task analysis
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A task analysis breaks a complex skill into a sequence of smaller, teachable steps that can be taught and tracked one at a time.
Topic: Measurement and data collection
In plain terms
Handwashing might have eight steps: turn on water, wet hands, get soap, scrub for 20 seconds, rinse, turn off water, dry, throw away the towel. Each step is listed in order and taught directly. Data shows which steps the student does independently and which need help, and the score is the percent of steps completed independently.
How it shows up in an IEP
Task analysis is the standard way to measure goals for routines, daily living and vocational skills. The goal names the routine and the criterion, such as "independently complete 9 of 10 steps," and the step list goes on the data sheet.
Example
A student's lunch routine has 10 steps. In baseline, the student completes 4 independently; after six weeks of teaching with backward chaining, the student completes 8.
Related terms
- Forward chainingForward chaining teaches the steps of a task analysis in order, starting with the first step, while an adult completes or supports the rest.
- Backward chainingBackward chaining teaches a multi-step task starting with the last step, so the student finishes the routine from the very first lesson.
- Prompt hierarchyA prompt hierarchy is an ordered list of support levels, from most to least help or the reverse, used to teach a skill and record independence.
- Functional goalA functional goal targets the everyday skills a student needs at school, at home and in the community, outside academic subjects.
- Community-based instructionCommunity-based instruction is teaching skills in the real places a student will use them, such as stores, banks, bus stops and workplaces.
On IEP Atlas
- Daily Living Skills IEP goals
- Functional Routines IEP goals
- Vocational & Work Readiness IEP goals
- Task analysis data sheet
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