Abstract
Noncompliance is a common problem in children with and without diagnoses such as autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities. A method for addressing noncompliance is escape extinction, in which a three-step prompting procedure is utilized to increase compliance to instructions (Tarbox, Wallace, Penrod, & Tarbox, 2007). Three-step prompting includes systematically increasing intrusiveness of prompts, starting with a vocal prompt, followed by a model prompt, and finally physical guidance. One explanation for the effectiveness of three-step prompting is that compliance increases through negative reinforcement given the averse nature of physical guidance (Wilder et al., 2012). Physical prompting may not always be a viable option, especially in schools. This study evaluated the effectiveness of an alternative prompting strategy, repeated vocal prompting, to increase. Vocal instructions were delivered on a time-based schedule and the latency to compliance was measured. A decrease in the latency to compliance was observed for two male participants.