What is NET (Natural Environment Teaching)?
Natural environment teaching (NET) is an ABA approach that teaches skills during everyday activities and play, using the learner's own interests and the naturally occurring consequences of the moment instead of a structured trial format.
In NET the teaching opportunity comes out of what the learner is already doing. If a child reaches for a bubble wand, that moment is used to teach a request, and the reinforcement is the bubbles themselves rather than a separate reward.
Because the skill is practiced in the situation where it will actually be used, NET tends to generalize better than structured teaching alone, and following the learner's lead keeps sessions motivating.
It asks more of the technician in the moment: spotting opportunities as they arise, using them, and still recording accurate data while play continues - which is why capture that takes seconds on a phone or tablet matters here.