To promote generalization of an executive function strategy across settings, which prompting strategy is most effective?

• A. Providing constant prompts
• B. Increasing task difficulty without support
• C. Fading prompts to encourage independence
• D. Training in a single session

Answer: (C)

Fading prompts to encourage independence helps generalization because it moves the student from relying on external cues to using the strategy independently across different settings. Start with supported practice so the student learns the steps, then gradually reduce the level of prompting so the student retrieves and applies the executive function on their own. As prompts fade, the skill becomes more automatic and transferable to new tasks and environments, such as switching from a classroom task to home or other settings. For example, a planning checklist used with full prompts can be gradually faded so the student begins tasks with minimal cues, eventually applying the checklist in varied contexts without prompting. Keeping prompts constant keeps the student dependent on cues and limits transfer; pushing to harder tasks without support risks failure and does not guarantee independent use; training in a single session lacks enough varied practice to generalize across settings and times.