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How is instruction provided in natural contexts by the whole team?

A routine is a teaching strategy that focuses the team's efforts on specific activities that occur with high frequency in the student's schedule. Routines are designed to teach specific special skills to students who require consistency and repetition in order to learn. As skills are learned, the student's level of participation in activities increases. Any activity can be developed into a routine when team members plan what they will teach and adapt for a given student. An activity is not a routine unless it meets the following criteria.

• There is a clear signal to the student that the activity is starting.
• The steps of the activity occur in the same sequence every time.
• Each step is done in the same way each time (same materials, same person, same place).
• Modifications and techniques provided by specialists are implemented exactly as directed.
• The minimum amount of assistance is provided in order to allow students to do as much as they possibly can.
• The pacing of instruction is precisely maintained until the activity is finished (no side conversations, going off to get something you forgot, or adding new or different steps that won't happen the next time the activity is done).
• There is a clear signal to the student that the activity is finished.

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