Breaking Down Complex Skills: How Task Analysis and Chaining Help Children Succeed

Teaching a child to tie shoes, make a sandwich or complete a morning routine can feel impossible, until you break the skill into simple, teachable pieces. Task analysis and chaining are evidence-based ABA strategies that transform big tasks into a series of small wins. This post explains exactly how to create task analyses, how to teach them using forward and backward chaining and ways to celebrate progress so your child stays motivated.

What is task analysis?

Task analysis is the process of breaking a complex skill into its component parts, like writing a recipe where each step is clear. What seems automatic to an adult (hand washing, getting dressed) actually contains many discrete actions. Identifying each step creates more learning opportunities and clearer instructions.

Example: Hand washing task analysis

1. Walk to sink

2. Turn on water

3. Adjust temperature

4. Get soap

5. Rub hands together 20 seconds

6. Rinse hands

7. Turn off water

8. Get towel

9. Dry hands

10. Hang up towel

Each of the above is a teachable target that can be reinforced and measured.

Chaining procedures

forward vs. backward

Chaining links the discrete steps together into a complete routine.

• Forward chaining: Teach Step 1 to mastery, then add Step 2, and so forth. Great when you want independence from the beginning of the task.

• Backward chaining: You complete all but the final step; the child performs the last step independently. This lets the child experience task completion and natural reinforcement early on which is very motivating for many learners.

Real-life example: Marcus’s bedtime routine used a 12-step task analysis:

1. go to bathroom

2. use toilet

3. flush

4. wash hands

5. brush teeth

6. pajamas

7. choose book

8. get in bed

9. read with parent

10. turn off light

11. hug

12. lie down

By sing backward chaining, Marcus experienced the complete routine from the start. Within three weeks he was independently completing the last four steps.

How to create a clear task analysis

1. Do the task yourself: record every discrete action.

2. Use observable, specific language: replace “get dressed” with “put right arm through right sleeve.”

3. Tailor step granularity: start more detailed than you think and combine steps later if appropriate.

4. Test your directions: can someone else follow them exactly?

When to break steps down further

If a child struggles with a single step, that step may hide multiple smaller skills. For instance, “put on shirt” might need to be split into:

1. pick up shirt

2. hold shirt open

3. put right arm through right sleeve

4. pull across torso

5. put left arm through left sleeve.

Non-linear skills (play, social routines)

Some skills aren’t strictly sequential (e.g., appropriate toy play). Create separate task analyses for different play scenarios (playing alone, playing with peer, clean-up routine) and teach components individually.

Celebrate progress; small wins matter

Mastering a 10-step routine equals learning 10 new skills. Celebrate every step:

• Use a visual progress chart (sticker or token for each mastered step).

• Give specific praise, “You turned on the water all by yourself!”

• Create a celebration book with photos of the child completing steps independently.

  
  

Practical tips for parents and caregivers

• Start with steps your child is motivated to do.

• Ask your ABA team for sample task analyses. They often have libraries for common self-care skills.

• Use backward chaining when immediate task completion is motivating; use forward chaining to build independence from the beginning.

• Be patient, consistency beats intensity; small, repeated successes lead to mastery.

Resources & further reading

• Ask your Intercept Health ABA team for examples and individualized task analyses. (Learn more about our ABA services at Intercept Health ABA.)

• Steps to Independence by Bruce Baker, a practical guide to breaking down self-care skills.

  
  

FAQ (quick answers)

Q: How detailed should my task analysis be?

A: Start more detailed than you think, then combine steps if the child demonstrates mastery.

Q: Which chaining method should I use first?

A: If immediate completion and natural reinforcement are helpful, use backward chaining. To build independence starting from the first step, use forward chaining.

Q: My child isn’t progressing, now what?

A: Break the challenging step into smaller parts, teach those parts individually, and re-integrate them into the chain.

Ready for a custom task analysis for your child? Contact Intercept Health ABA to request examples and a consultation with our clinicians. Make your referral, today!