Meta-Analysis of Stimulus Fading for Improving Children’s Discrimination Learning

Many children with intellectual or developmental disabilities and those with autism experience difficulty learning and often need more salient cues to prompt correct responding. However, in order for generalization to occur, behaviors need to become prompted by less obvious more natural environmental stimuli. Stimulus fading is a method to accomplish this goal. It involves gradually reducing the level and degree of stimuli required to cue acquisition of discrimination learning. It has been used for over 40 years, yet no systematic review has been conducted to determine its effectiveness. The purpose of the current study was to conduct a meta-analysis of the literature on stimulus fading with children and adolescents. Effect sizes were calculated using standard mean difference (SMD), improvement rate difference (IRD), and Tau-U. The obtained effect values indicated that stimulus fading is a moderately effective method, with some effect sizes in the highly effective range, for helping children learn and perform skills. Considerations and variables regarding the effectiveness of stimulus fading are discussed. Specifically, results indicated that the body of literature reviewed was only moderately effective for improving children’s discrimination learning. Rationale for this finding will be explained. Also of note, the literature reviewed indicated that stimulus fading has been used in a wide variety of applications and settings. Finally, problems interpreting effect sizes for single case research design (SCRD) studies with regarding to stimulus fading procedures will be presented.