Our Method

What is DTT?

Discrete Trial Training (DTT) is one of the best-evidence-supported teaching techniques within Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), widely used in early intervention for children on the autism spectrum. It breaks a complex skill into tiny steps and practices each one in a highly structured “trial”:

instruction → child’s response → reinforcement → short pause

For matching practice: show an apple and say “find the same one” (instruction), the child taps the apple among the choices (response), stars burst on screen with a short cheer (reinforcement), a brief pause follows, and the next trial begins. Each trial takes seconds, so a child earns many small successes per minute — exactly how confidence is built, one small step at a time.

How StarSprout designs its trials

• No failure states: a wrong tap never triggers criticism or harsh sounds. The correct answer glows softly as a prompt and the child tries again — success is always reachable.
• Immediate reinforcement: the reward animation fires the instant the child answers correctly.
• Prompts fade gradually: help comes first so the child succeeds, then fades as independence grows.
• No time pressure: no countdowns, no “game over”. The child taps at their own pace.
• Short and frequent: 8 trials per round. Two or three 5–10 minute sessions a day beat one long sitting.

How to practice together

1. Stay close: hold your child on your lap or sit side by side, screen at eye level.
2. Follow your child’s pace: if attention drifts, stop. Never force a full round.
3. Paise immediately and specifically: when they answer correctly, cheer along — “Yes! You found it!” Your real voice matters more than the app’s.
4. Let the data talk: the Progress page records the independent-correct rate for every target — which items your child has mastered independently and which still need prompts. This is exactly the material therapists find most useful.
5. Take it off the screen: after a fruit-matching round, ask “where is the apple?” at mealtimes. Generalization to real life is the real goal.

About screen time

Screen time for children aged 2–6 should be limited. StarSprout is designed to be a structured, short-session, co-viewed practice tool — not solo entertainment. We recommend: at most 10 minutes per session, a parent present throughout, and real toys waiting after practice.

Important note

StarSprout is a supplementary home-practice tool. It is not a substitute for professional assessment, intervention, or medical advice. If your child was recently diagnosed, please prioritize a professional intervention plan — StarSprout extends cognition practice into the home, a little every day.