What Is Scrolling in Kids?

Often in an ABA program, we’re teaching kids multiple skills at once. For example, we might be teaching a student to mand for cookie, but we may also be teaching them to identify items, introducing gross motor imitation, and following directions. Students will sometimes engage in multiple responses because they believe that’s what you want to see, and that’s essentially what scrolling behavior is.

It's important to be aware of scrolling and know how to deal with it from the very beginning. Teaching skills "cleanly” is key so the student doesn’t run through any other responses from overlapping instruction. Scrolling can be physical or verbal, and kids often scroll because they’re looking for whatever will give them reinforcement. As practitioners, whenever we’re unclear on reinforcement contingencies, there’s a greater chance that scrolling will occur. We cover helpful tips and strategies to prevent and manage scrolling through error correction procedures and transfer trials.

To get a copy of our Visual Transfer Trial Cheat Sheet, head to the link below.

What’s Inside:

• What is scrolling and what does it look like when you’re working with a client?
• Why kids scroll and the types of scrolling they may exhibit.
• Strategies to prevent and work through scrolling behaviors.

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Visual Transfer Trial Cheat Sheet