Welcome to the How-To series. The topic for this How To is physical prompting. You will see examples of how to provide a physical prompt to students. 
There are many different kinds of prompts. Physical prompts include both partial prompts and full physical prompts. An example of a partial physical prompt includes a gentle and brief touch to a student's elbow to indicate the correct response. For example, a teacher might gently tap the students elbow as a prompt to place the book on the desk or the teacher might guide the student's elbow to support placing the book on the desk. A full physical prompt is the most intrusive type of prompt that includes taking a student's hands and physically guiding them to the correct response. For example, a teacher might take the student's hands and physically guide them to place the book on the desk to complete the skill. 
Let's watch our first video. In this video you will notice the teacher provides a partial physical prompt as the student gets out pieces of a toy. While you watch the video, see if you notice what the teacher does to provide the partial physical prompt. 
Teacher: (guides student's arm with her hand) That's good, you want squeezes... squeezes... squeezes.
What did you see? Hopefully you noticed the teacher gently, and briefly, touched the student's elbow and arm, guiding him to the tray of toy pieces. Now let's watch a video example of a full physical prompt. 
In this video, you will notice the teacher provides a full physical prompt as the student learns the sign for help. 
Student: (tries unsuccessfully to put on shoe)
Teacher: Help! (signs with the student's hands as she speaks) Help. Help. That's right, you need help. Sure, I'll help you.
What did you see this time? Hopefully  you noticed that the teacher took the student's hands and assisted her in making the sign for help. In the first example, the teacher briefly touched the student's arm and used a partial physical prompt. In the second example, the teacher used a full physical prompt in teacher the student a new sign.
There are more ways to provide physical prompts. Let's watch a couple of videos. While you are watching these videos, see if you notice the physical prompts being used. Make sure to determine if the prompt is a partial or full physical prompt. Also, watch what the teacher does and look or listen for the student's response.
Teacher: Thanks. (holds up board with BALL written on it) Let's spell ball. (takes students hand to point with her as she spells ball) B. A. L. L. Now spell it, are you ready? (teacher guides students hand as he picks up the letters and matches them to the letters in BALL on the board) Good job! High five!
Teacher: Choo choo trains! They're fun , aren't they, man? Can you find the green block? Find the green block. (teacher moves student's hand from yellow block to green block) That's the green block. Touch the green block. (after she moves them around) Good job, man!
Teacher: Joshua! You need spoon. Look, spoon. (places his hand on spoon) (helps him pick up symbol for spoon and guides his hand to place it on this communication board) Spoon! I want spoon, you got it!
In all of the videos you watched you should have noticed that the teacher provided a physical prompt so that the student was better able to complete the task at hand. Sometimes a full physical prompt was needed while at other times a partial physical prompt was sufficient. Either way, the physical prompt helped the student be successful. 
Now that you have watched some examples of physical prompts, remember: physical prompts can include partial and full physical prompts. Partial prompts may be brief, gentle touches while a full physical prompt may mean taking the students hands and guiding them to the correct responses. Remember, a full physical prompt is the most intrusive type of prompt. Full physical prompts can be faded to partial physical prompts as a student becomes more independent.