Which teaching strategy is exemplified by shaping & chaining?

• A. Relaxation training
• B. Shaping & Chaining
• C. Systematic Desensitization
• D. Collaborative Therapeutic Homework

Answer: (B)

Shaping and chaining describe teaching methods that build a complex skill by working through smaller, manageable steps and linking those steps into a sequence. With shaping, you reinforce gradually closer approximations to the target skill, tightening criteria as the learner improves. With chaining, you teach a series of steps in order, so finishing one step cues the next, which can be done in forward or backward fashion. This approach is ideal for pediatric OT because it turns a potentially big, daunting task—like dressing, brushing teeth, or handwriting—into a clear progression of achievable steps, with reinforcement guiding each advance. The other options focus on different therapeutic goals—relaxation or easing fear responses, or homework that involves the family—rather than a direct method of teaching a skill through structured steps and sequences.