The Benefits of Establishing Attending Behavior Prior to the Discriminative Stimulus During Discrete-Trial Instruction: A Systematic Review

Discrete trial instruction (DTI) is one of the most effective and commonly used instructional strategies for teaching individuals with autism. Researchers and professionals have informally promoted the importance of establishing attending behavior prior to initiating discrete trials. However, some researchers have reported a lack of literature analyzing the effects of establishing attending behavior, prior to instruction, on skill acquisition. Therefore, the benefits of establishing attending as part of DTI remain unknown. The goal of the current thesis was to conduct a systematic review using PRISMA guidelines to search for published studies where attending behavior was a primary independent variable within DTI sessions. Upon gathering qualifying studies, the present reviewer would have assessed the methodological strength of the articles and then assessed the establishment of attending behavior as an evidence-based practice (EBP) using the methods outlined by Reichow (2011). Because the results of this review concluded with only a single study meeting criteria for inclusion, the EBP status of establishing attending prior to instruction during DTI is undetermined. This review suggests that future research should investigate the effects of attending behavior on skill acquisition within DTI as well as with other instructional tasks and strategies.