The Task Analysis: Brushing Teeth Visual is a series of images, pictures, photographs, or line drawings used to depict the sequence of steps the learner should take when brushing their teeth.
What is a Task Analysis: Brushing Teeth?
The Task Analysis: Brushing Teeth Visual is a series of images, pictures, photographs, or line drawings used to depict the sequence of steps the learner should take when brushing their teeth. The goal is to identify and teach the steps necessary for the learner to master the process.
Rather than telling the learner to go and brush their teeth, as this may be too complex for them, the task analysis breaks it down into smaller, more manageable tasks.
Breaking down the task into a number of sequential, specific sub-tasks, the learner is able to focus on each sub-task individually, helping them to be less anxious or frustrated, which allows them to complete the overall task.
Remember, be consistent in ensuring the learner completes each step in the sequence as listed on the task analysis visual. Be sure all carers are using the same brushing teeth task analysis so as to not confuse the learner.
How to use a Task Analysis: Brushing Teeth?
A Task Analysis for Brushing Teeth Visual is used to break down and simplify the task of brushing your teeth by providing the learner with step-by-step guidance. It is a visual strategy to aid a learner in completing the task with less frustration and to help from becoming overwhelmed by the overall task of brushing their teeth.
There are several ways to teach the steps to the learner. Before getting started on the teaching though, see how many steps the learner can do independently.
You can have the visual nearby and point to each step as the learner finishes the prior step. With this strategy, you are visually “guiding” the learner through each step.
Observe the learner and take note of the steps they struggle with. These are the steps they may need assistance with. You can start assisting them with those steps by prompting (modeling the steps or using a physical prompt to guide them in the process). Eventually, these prompts will be faded such that the learner completes them independently.
If the learner is struggling with completing all the steps in sequence in the process, you can use Chaining to teach them. There are two types of Chaining: Forward and Backward.
For Forward Chaining, you will teach one step at a time and then aid the learner with each of the following steps. Once they have mastered that one step, the learner can complete that step as well as the next one on their own with you aiding in each of the remaining steps. This process continues until the learner has mastered each of the steps.
For Backward Chaining, you will aid the learner in completing each step except for the last step which they will complete on their own. Once they have mastered that one step, the learner can complete that step as well as the one prior to it with you aiding in each of the prior steps. This process continues until the learner has mastered each of the steps.
