Systematic Review of Time Delay Instruction for Teaching Young Children

Background: Previous reviews did not include sources that were published in the last 14 years, indicating a need for an updated synthesis on the time delay literature. Objectives: This review was designed to synthesize outcomes for studies assessing time delay prompting procedures for teaching young children. Data sources: PsycINFO and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. Eligibility criteria: To meet inclusion criteria, studies had to be written in English, include a single case design with the primary intervention being time delay. Methods: We coded descriptive characteristics and evaluated rigor using the Single-Case Analysis and Review Framework. Results: A total of 33 published and unpublished sources were included. Results were mixed but suggest that time delay is effective for teaching young children with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Limitations: We did not calculate effect sizes or conduct a meta-analysis due to the inappropriateness of most effect size metrics for acquisition data. Conclusions: Additional research is needed to (a) determine in which contexts time delay can and will be used by endogenous implementers; (b) assess outcomes for children who are non-imitative; and (c) evaluate child preferences for learning variations.