What Is Systematic Instruction? Examples and Best Practices in Supported Employment

Systematic instruction is an evidence-based teaching method that uses structured prompting, repetition, task analysis, and reinforcement to help individuals learn skills consistently and independently. In supported employment settings, systematic instruction helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities succeed in meaningful jobs and community roles.

Studies show that one effective way to improve the quality of services for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities is to make sure they have meaningful work and activity choices, as well as systematic instruction. For those individuals who want to work, having a job they enjoy and are good at improves their quality of life in numerous ways. Not only are they happier and more integrated into their communities, they are also more financially secure.

Unfortunately, some people who want to work are deemed “not ready” for employment—not because they can’t do the job, but because their support staff doesn’t know how to teach them to do the job.

What is systematic instruction?

Systematic instruction is an evidence-based approach that uses prompts, repetition, task analysis, and reinforcement to teach skills in a consistent and independent way. In supported employment, it helps people with intellectual and developmental disabilities succeed in meaningful jobs and community roles.

Systematic instruction should be broken up into the following core components:

• Task analysis
• Prompting
• Prompt fading
• Reinforcement
• Repetition
• Error correction
• Data collection

Effective systematic instruction for supported employment takes all of these factors into account. While task analysis (i.e., breaking a task down into smaller steps) is part of systematic instruction, it is just the beginning. This teaching process involves a commitment to getting to know the person being instructed, understanding how they learn and identifying obstacles that might prevent them from being successful on the job.

Example of systematic instruction at work

Many of the everyday tasks we may think of as “simple” actually require multiple steps. Picking up a few things at the grocery store can involve making a list, finding the items in the store, assessing different brands based on price and quality, and making a choice. Checking out is a multi-step process all by itself!

But there are many other elements to a trip to the grocery store that can cause challenges — interactions with store employees or other customers, the lights and noises, or complications created by where products are located in the store or on the shelf.

To support someone working in a grocery store, for example, it would be important to understand your client’s:

• Social skills: How might they react to a question from a customer?
• Sensory sensitivities: Do fluorescent lights or strong smells bother them?
• Workplace expectations: When bagging groceries, can they identify breakable items?

These are just a few of the dozens of things that would need to be considered for effective systematic instruction.

The steps of systematic instruction

• Identify the skill to be taught
• Break the skill into smaller steps using task analysis
• Select appropriate prompting strategies
• Teach the skill in the natural environment
• Use reinforcement and repetition to build confidence
• Fade prompts gradually to increase independence
• Monitor progress and adjust supports as needed

How to use systematic instruction effectively

For direct support professionals serving as job coaches or providing employment supports, it’s essential to put thought and planning into what and how to teach the person being supported — the worker.

Instruction should occur in the natural environment where the skill or task will be used. In fact, being able to navigate the environment and social expectations in the workplace may be even more important to the worker’s success than their skills doing the actual job.

Also, conducting the training at the work site gives the DSP and the worker an opportunity to identify natural supports — such as a helpful manager or co-worker — and reduce the potential of the worker becoming dependent on the DSP. The DSP and the worker should plan frequent learning sessions in order to give the worker plenty of experience so they can master the necessary skills.

Just like the worker needs experience and training to be successful on the job, so does the DSP need training to learn how to implement systematic instruction. They will need to know, among other things, the various teaching methods they may need to use to support the worker’s education, development and independence. Support professionals skilled in systematic instruction have shown that people with disabilities can take on much more complex and varied tasks when they are properly instructed.

Failure to plan or implement proper systematic instruction can result in overdependence on staff support, lack of acceptance by people in the community, inability to learn the task at all, and loss of opportunities to advance in life or gain more independence.

Frequently Asked Questions about systematic instruction

What is systematic instruction?

Systematic instruction is an evidence-based teaching approach that uses planned teaching strategies, prompting, repetition, and reinforcement to help individuals learn new skills. It is commonly used in special education, supported employment, and services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Why is systematic instruction important?

Systematic instruction helps people learn skills in a consistent and individualized way. By breaking tasks into smaller steps and providing structured support, it can improve independence, confidence, and success in work and community settings.

What are examples of systematic instruction?

Examples of systematic instruction include teaching someone how to stock shelves at a grocery store, use public transportation, prepare meals, complete workplace tasks, or follow a daily hygiene routine. The instruction is tailored to the person’s learning style and support needs.

What prompting strategies are used in systematic instruction?

Common prompting strategies include verbal prompts, visual prompts, physical guidance, modeling, and gestural prompts. Support professionals may also use prompting hierarchies such as least-to-most prompting or most-to-least prompting depending on the individual’s needs.

How is systematic instruction used in supported employment?

In supported employment, systematic instruction helps individuals learn job tasks, workplace routines, communication skills, and social expectations. Training typically occurs in the actual work environment so the person can practice skills in real-world situations.