Teaching a Phonological Awareness Skill with the Time-Delay System in a Mainstream Setting: A Single-Subject Research Study

The present study focused on instruction in identifying the 1st sounds of different words. We taught this phonological awareness skill in a mainstream classroom through an evidence-based strategy of time delay to a student with severe intellectual and developmental disability. We implemented the time-delay strategy within a single-subject design and a multiple baseline across 3 different sets. Results indicated that the student learned to identify the initial letter sound of the words taught once the intervention ended and across the maintenance period. Contributions and limitations of the study are presented, and future research and practical implications are discussed.