What Is Priming?

Priming is an intervention that previews information or activities with which a child or youth is likely to have difficulties. It is an effective tool for increasing success on a variety of tasks and behaviors.

Priming ...

• Serves as a preview activity conducted prior to instruction using the same material that will be used in an upcoming lesson.
• Can occur the day before the activity, the morning of or right before the activity.
• Can be performed by anyone who works with the child at home or at school (parents, teachers, paraprofessionals, volunteers).
• Consists of short and concise sessions that take place in a relaxed atmosphere.
• Familiarizes the child with material; does not "teach" it.
• Provides high levels of reinforcement for any attempt.

Example: Bryan

Bryan has difficulty paying attention during circle time in preschool. He often disrupts other children, particularly when the teacher is reading the daily story. During a parent conference, Bryan’s teacher and mother decided to use priming at home to help reduce his off-task behavior in circle time.

Bryan’s teacher gave his mother the book they were going to read the next day in circle time. Bryan’s mother read the book to Bryan as part of his bedtime ritual that evening. She asked him general questions along the way, but did not interrupt the story. Bryan’s mother praised him when he sat and listened to the story. Through this process, Bryan became familiar with the pictures and the text in a comfortable setting.

Because Bryan had heard the story the night before and knew what to expect, he was able to focus on the book during circle time the following day. By being familiar with the book, Bryan attended to the story without disrupting the teacher or his peers.

Purposes of Priming

• To familiarize the child with the material before its use
• To increase competence before problems develop
• To introduce predictability into the information or activity, thereby reducing frustration and anxiety
• To allow presentation in a nonthreatening and exploratory manner
• To increase the child’s success

Rationale Behind Priming

This intervention can be used with children and youth with autism spectrum disorders who:

• engage in avoidance behaviors when materials or tasks are presented.
• require extensive exploration time before they can participate appropriately with a material.
• require help with social initiations.
• have trouble transitioning in their environment. Click HERE to see video example.

Example: Jill

Jill is a five-year old child with autism, who is a kindergarten student in a general education classroom. Jill’s teacher has difficulty getting her to focus during one-on-one activities. Jill consistently moves away from the teacher when asked to participate. When the teacher tries to redirect her back to the activity, Jill screams and throws herself on the floor. For an upcoming activity consisting of matching colored blocks, Jill’s teacher decided to try priming to eliminate Jill’s avoidance behaviors by familiarizing her with the materials.

In preparation, the teacher met with Jill’s paraprofessional and gave her the blocks Jill would be using. She instructed the paraprofessional to familiarize Jill with the blocks but not to "teach" the concept of matching. Since Jill enjoys going to the "quiet room," this is where they decided the priming session would take place. The quiet room is a small room that children with special needs can go to when they need a less distracting environment to complete assignments. The paraprofessional remained relaxed and patient and continuously encouraged Jill as she stacked the blocks. Jill’s paraprofessional told Jill that she was going to learn to match the blocks in class the next day. The session was short and informal. Whenever Jill attempted to interact with the blocks, she was rewarded.

The next day during work time in the classroom, the teacher introduced the blocks that Jill had played with the day before to teach the concept of matching colors. Because Jill was familiar with the blocks, she was interested in what the teacher was doing with them. As a result, her avoidance behaviors were reduced, which enabled her to actively participate in the learning experience.