ABA Lesson Plan for Autism Created in Under 10 Minutes

Hi Dawn! It's great to work with you on this. ABA (Applied Behavior Analysis) is such a powerful tool for structured learning.

Since many students with autism benefit from clear expectations and repetition, I’ve designed this lesson plan using Discrete Trial Training (DTT), a core ABA strategy. This lesson focuses on Receptive Identification of Common Fruits, but you can easily swap the objects for letters, numbers, or classroom items.

Here is a fully detailed, ready-to-use lesson plan.

Lesson Plan: Receptive Identification of Common Fruits

Target Student: Elementary student with ASD (Level 1 or 2)
Strategy: Discrete Trial Training (DTT) with Errorless Learning
Duration: 10–15 minutes (or until 10 trials are completed)

1. Objective

The student will correctly identify the target fruit (Apple, Banana, Orange) when given the verbal SD (Discriminative Stimulus) "Touch [Fruit]" from a field of 3, with 80% accuracy over 3 consecutive sessions.

2. Materials Needed

• High-Quality Photo Cards: Clear images of an Apple, a Banana, and an Orange (no background distractions).
• Distractor Cards: Non-target items (e.g., a spoon, a sock).
• Reinforcers: Items highly motivating for the student (e.g., small pieces of a favorite snack, 30 seconds of a preferred toy, or a digital "star" on a chart).
• Data Sheet: To track "Correct," "Prompted," or "Incorrect" responses.

3. Preparation & Setting

• Environment: Sit in a low-distraction area, ideally at a table where you are facing the student.
• Preference Assessment: Before starting, ask the student or offer two choices to see what they are willing to work for (e.g., "Do you want to work for the bubbles or the iPad?").

4. The Instructional Procedure

Step A: The Trial Structure (The 4-Term Contingency)

Each "trial" follows this exact sequence:

1. SD (Discriminative Stimulus): You say, "Touch apple."
2. Prompt (if needed): Use the least intrusive prompt to ensure success.
3. Response: The student touches the card.
4. Consequence:
   • If correct: Immediate praise ("Great job!") and a small reinforcer.
   • If incorrect: Neutral feedback and initiate the Error Correction Procedure.
5. Inter-Trial Interval: A 3–5 second pause to record data and reset the cards.

Step B: Prompting Hierarchy (Fading)

Use Most-to-Least Prompting if the skill is brand new to prevent frustration:

1. Full Physical: Guide the student's hand to the apple immediately.
2. Partial Physical: Nudge the student’s elbow toward the apple.
3. Gestural: Point to the apple while saying "Touch apple."
4. Positional: Place the apple card closer to the student than the distractor cards.
5. Independent: The student identifies the apple with no help.

Step C: Errorless Learning Strategy

To keep the student's motivation high, don't let them "fail." On the first trial, provide a Full Physical Prompt immediately after the SD. Over subsequent trials, delay the prompt by 1 second, then 2 seconds, to give the student a chance to respond independently.

5. Lesson Workflow

6. Data Collection Sheet (Actionable Template)

Mark (+) for Independent Correct, (P) for Prompted, and (-) for Incorrect.

7. Generalization & Maintenance

Once the student masters "Apple" in the DTT setting:

• Generalize Settings: Ask the student to "Get the apple" in the school cafeteria or from a play kitchen.
• Generalize People: Have an assistant or parent ask the student to identify the fruit.
• Maintenance: Check back once a week to ensure the student still identifies the fruit without daily practice.

Pro-Tip: If the student starts to engage in "scrolling" (touching every card until they find the right one), clear the cards, wait 5 seconds, and restart the trial with a stronger prompt to ensure they are attending to your voice and the image!

If you'd like to create a visual schedule or a presentation to show your team how this works, you can use Alayna’s AI Slides Generator for Google Slides. It’s a great way to turn these steps into a visual guide for paraprofessionals! You can find it here.

How does this look for your student? Would you like me to adjust the difficulty level or focus on a different skill?