What Is Incidental Teaching?

Incidental teaching is a naturalistic approach to teaching that involves incorporating learning opportunities into everyday activities and routines. It is based on the idea that learning can occur spontaneously and incidentally in the context of natural social interactions, rather than being limited to formal teaching sessions.

The focus of incidental teaching is on teaching specific skills or behaviors that are relevant to a child's daily life and environment, such as language skills, social skills, or self-help skills. It involves taking advantage of everyday situations and interactions to provide teaching moments, rather than setting up separate teaching sessions.

Key features of incidental teaching include:

1. Naturalistic Environment: Incidental teaching occurs within the context of everyday activities and routines, making learning more meaningful and relevant to the child.

2. Spontaneous Opportunities: Learning opportunities are seized spontaneously as they arise in the natural environment, rather than being planned or structured in advance.

3. Focused Teaching: Incidental teaching focuses on specific skills or behaviors that the child needs to learn and applies them in real-life situations.

4. Immediate Feedback: Feedback is provided immediately, either verbally or through the natural consequences of the child's actions, allowing for quick reinforcement or correction.

5. Multiple Opportunities: Incidental teaching provides multiple opportunities for the child to practice and reinforce the target skill or behavior throughout the day.

6. Peer Interactions: Incidental teaching can involve interactions with peers or siblings, promoting social learning and generalization of skills.

7. Integration with Play: Incidental teaching can be easily integrated into play activities, making it more enjoyable and motivating for the child.

8. Individualized Approach: Incidental teaching can be tailored to the individual learning needs and interests of each child.

9. Parent and Caregiver Involvement: Parents and caregivers can be trained to use incidental teaching strategies in their everyday interactions with the child, enhancing their involvement in the child's learning process.

Incidental teaching is commonly used in early childhood intervention, special education, and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) therapy, but can be beneficial for children of all ages and abilities.