The Fine Art of Fading

Last month, we discussed stabilization and promised to give you more insights into fading, a key step to a worker’s independence. During the newly-employed worker’s first weeks on the job, you observed their learning traits, interpersonal skills, and job routines to determine what they required to be successful. Before the employee can be completely successful in their new position, though, your role will evolve to accomplish the ultimate goal: success without you.

So, the big question is how do you go about making that graceful exit?

Fading…I’m Fading…!

Dorothy melts the Wicked Witch of the West, Wizard of Oz,
William W. Denslow, illustrator, 1900.

Think of the Wicked Witch in the Wizard of Oz melting away.  Minus the wickedness part, of course, you want to melt away or gradually fade into the background. Fading is actually important to your employee’s success. Since the ultimate goal has always been for the employee to be employed without your support, your fading efforts will become your new priority soon after your employee learns their basic tasks and gets the lay of the land in the workplace. In other words, you’ll need to create a fading plan soon after your employee is hired. 

Strategizing Your Fade

Eight strategies for fading offered by Teresa Grossi, Ph.D., of the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, include:

• Supervisor and coworkers should be involved right from the start; 
• Fade systematically;
• Fade toward the natural cues; 
• Fade toward the natural supports;
• Fade your proximity and accessibility to the worker;
• Move to less and less intrusive types of assistance and prompts;
• Increase the amount of time between cues and prompts; and
• Institute self-management strategies and self-reinforcement strategies.

When you’re fading, you will be decreasing your time coaching, mentoring, and/or modeling, while your employee will be increasing their independence and their ability to rely on natural supports and self- management strategies when needed.  

Want to see some examples?  

Though this video mentions creating a fading plan on Day One, we actually recommend putting together a plan for fading even before the employee starts their new job.

Fading, Not Disappearing

The process of fading may sound simple, but it’s really a fine art. Timing is key. Fading too fast results in the worker making more errors and requiring a longer period of training. Fading too slowly fosters the worker’s dependence on you, which also increases the training time. 

Stay alert and watch for the cues. You want the employee to rely less on you and more on the supports they have through family, friendships, associations with fellow employees and supervisors, and associations developed through participation in their community. When you suspect that your employee still needs support, but you also think it’s time to help them test their independence, try something other than side-by-side support. Consider adapting the task, designing a new approach, using graphics, or creating a support other than yourself.

Collecting Data Is Key

Collecting data is key to determining and demonstrating the employee’s success. The job tasks determine the data you will collect. Writing a task analysis, when needed, at the start of the job is the first step to charting progress. For some employees, you may need to record the number of times during a day he/she correctly completes a task, while for others you’ll note the length of time they need to do a task. A job/task analysis will help identify stumbling blocks and allow planning for adaptation to training strategies.  You’ll use the task/job analysis to collect probe data, which is used to find out how the worker is doing without any intervention, prompts, or reinforcement. 

You’ll also collect data when you’re training one-on-one and you need to identify where a worker is having difficulty performing specific steps. (Need more information on collecting data? Enroll in Indiana Employment Specialist Training. Our August/September course begins August 7! Or save the date for November/December training, beginning November 5.)

Data should be meaningful, simple to use, easy to read, and easy to interpret. Data:

• provides a record of the worker’s performance.
• assists with objective evaluation of performance.
• shows areas for fading and from continued training.
• calls attention to areas that may need different training methods, adaptation, and self-management systems.
• can be used as a reinforcement tool for the worker.
• can be shared with the employee and co-workers to ask for assistance, feedback, and new ideas.
• serves as an accountability tool to funders, management, and families.

As an employee achieves their goals and accomplishes their tasks, you should modify the fading plan to further reduce the time you are spending either with the employee or on their behalf. (And don’t forget to update the ESRP!) As your communication with the employee and/or business diminishes, you can check in with the employee or supervisor via phone or a random visit.  

Remember, the Wicked Witch of the West (“Fading…I’m fading!”) as you slip out of the scene! 

Resources and References 

• Stabilization Notification Form
• Transfer to Extended Services Form
• Fading Job Site Supports Video Presentation, Teresa Grossi, Ph.D.