{"id":4921,"date":"2021-08-17T09:45:08","date_gmt":"2021-08-17T13:45:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/?page_id=4921"},"modified":"2026-02-18T14:44:47","modified_gmt":"2026-02-18T19:44:47","slug":"abcs-of-behavioral-teaching","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/parenttraining.chip.uconn.edu\/index.php\/abcs-of-behavioral-teaching\/","title":{"rendered":"ABCs of Behavioral Teaching"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

We\u2019ve used the phrase \u2018learning trial\u2019 many times \u2013 now we\u2019ll explain what that really means.  In fact, we\u2019re going to tell you a little bit about the ABC\u2019s<\/strong> of behavioral teaching. This kind of highly structured teaching is called Discrete Trial Training<\/strong> (DTT) or sometimes Discrete Trial Instruction<\/strong> (DTI).  In DTT, a learning \u201ctrial\u201d has three main parts, A<\/strong>, B<\/strong> and C<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

A = Antecedent<\/strong><\/p>\n

B = Behavior<\/strong><\/p>\n

C = Consequence<\/strong><\/p>\n

The antecedent (A)<\/strong> is letting the child know what she is supposed to do. As we have said before, sometimes this does not require words while at other times it does. For example, when teaching a child to request, you can just hold something you think she\u2019ll want where she can see it but a little out of her reach; whereas when teaching a child to imitate, you do the action yourself and say, \u201cDo this\u201d.<\/p>\n