Errorless Compliance Training (ECT) in Cooperative Skills in a Preschool Child with Autism

Oct 15, 2026

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This single-case study assessed effects and maintenance of cooperative-skill training using Errorless Compliance Training (ECT) with a four-year-old boy diagnosed with autism attending a Norwegian kindergarten. A pre–post design included an 11-week follow-up. Adult instructions followed within 10 seconds, without avoidance or resistance, served as the dependent measure. Results showed increased cooperative behavior across task difficulty, strongest gains for low-probability instructions, with partial generalization to natural settings.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages8

Reading Time20 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Errorless Compliance Training (ECT)

Autism and cooperative behaviors

Abstract

Study design and outcomes

International Electronic Journal of Elementary Education March 2026, Volume 18, Issue 3 Errorless Compliance Training (ECT) in Cooperative Skills in a Preschool Child with Autism Mari S. Lyftingsmoa, Kjetil Vikenb, Emma Sannesc, Kai-Ove Ottersend, Bjørn Andre Torvee, Jørn Isaksenf,* Received : 2 December 2025 Revised : 3 March 2026 Accepted : 20 April 2026 DOI : 10.26822/iejee.2026.444 a Mari S Lyftingsmo, University of Inland Norway. [E-mail: mari.lyftingsmo@inn. no](E-mail: mari.lyftingsmo@inn. no) ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2868-6419](https://orcid.org/0009-0004-2868-6419) [b](b Kjetil Viken)[ Kjetil Viken](b Kjetil Viken), University of Inland Norway. E-mail: [kjetil.viken@inn. no](kjetil.viken@inn. no) ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4186-7543](https://orcid.org/0009-0002-4186-7543) [c](c Emma Sannes)[ Emma Sannes](c Emma Sannes), Hamar municipality, Norway. [E-mail:](E-mail: emma234@live. no)[ emma234@live. no](E-mail: emma234@live. no) ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2702-3817](https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2702-3817) [d](d Kai-Ove Ottersen)[ Kai-Ove Ottersen](d Kai-Ove Ottersen), University of Inland Norway. E-mail: [kaiove.ottersen@inn. no](kaiove.ottersen@inn. no) ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0365-6888](https://orcid.org/0009-0008-0365-6888) [e](e Bj)[ Bj](e Bj)ø[rn](rn) Andre Torve, University of Inland Norway. E-mail: [bjorn.torve@inn. no](bjorn.torve@inn. no) ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1392-8548](https://orcid.org/0009-0002-1392-8548) [f](f),* Corresponding Author: Jørn Isaksen, University of Inland Norway. E-mail: [Jorn.isaksen@inn. no](Jorn.isaksen@inn. no) ORCID: [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0411-5898](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0411-5898) [www.iejee.com](www.iejee.com)[ ](www.iejee.com)[ISSN: 1307-9298](ISSN: 1307-9298) 2026 Published by KURA Education & Publishing. This is an open access article under the CC BYNC-ND license. ([https://creativecommons.org/](https://creativecommons.org/)[ ](https://creativecommons.org/)[licenses/by/4.0/](licenses/by/4.0/)) Abstract This single-case study examined the effects and maintenance of cooperative skill training using Errorless Compliance Training (ECT) in a four-year-old boy diagnosed with autism (F84 .0) attending a Norwegian kindergarten. A pre–post design with an 11-week follow-up period was implemented. The dependent variable was the percentage of adult instructions followed within 10 seconds without avoidance or resistance. Results indicated a clear increase in cooperative behavior across all levels of task difficulty, with the greatest improvement for low-probability instructions (from 25% at baseline to 75% at follow-up) . The findings align with previous research supporting ECT as an effective and socially valid method for increasing cooperation in children with autism. Skills were maintained and partially generalized to natural settings 11 weeks after training. Implications for Early Intensive Behavioral Intervention (EIBI) and early childhood education are discussed. Keywords: Autism, Cooperation, Compliance Training, Applied Behavior Analysis, Generalization, Early Intervention Introduction Early and and targeted instruction in social, communicative, cooperative skills is essential for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) . Such skills are a prerequisite for learning, social inclusion, and later academic functioning (Isaksen & Holth, 2009) . Children with autism often experience difficulties following instructions, sharing attention, and responding to adult-initiated prompts (Ingersoll, & Schreibman, 2006) . These abilities constitute what is commonly referred to as cooperative behaviors, a core component of children’s capacity to participate in learning activities and engage in social interactions in preschool and school settings. Limited cooperative behavior may reduce learning outcomes and increase the risk of social isolation (Kløfta et al., 2020) . With

FAQs

What intervention was evaluated in the study?

The study evaluated Errorless Compliance Training (ECT) for improving cooperative skills in a preschool child with autism.

How was progress measured during training and follow-up?

Progress was measured as the percentage of adult instructions followed within 10 seconds without avoidance or resistance, using a pre–post design with an 11-week follow-up.

What were the main findings regarding cooperative behavior?

Cooperative behavior increased across all levels of task difficulty, with the greatest improvement for low-probability instructions from baseline to follow-up. Skills were maintained and partially generalized to natural settings after 11 weeks.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Eliana