Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners build more complex structures with blocks.

Intro to Blocks/Building teaches learners to stack and make simple structures, and Imitating Block Designs teaches them to copy a small model. This skill area builds on both. The learner copies the therapist building familiar structures (a tall tower, a wall, a bridge, a house, a line of dominoes) and then plays with them using other toys: driving a car over the bridge, parking it in the garage, or putting little figures inside the house. The sequence ends with the learner knowing what to do with a pile of blocks and building on their own.

How this skill area relates to your assessments!

This skill area aligns with various assessments and their respective domains, with milestone and domain codes provided for reference. Additionally, DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Autism are included to help clinicians identify how this skill area potentially supports medical necessity in relation to the diagnosis.

VB-MAPP (Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program)

• Visual Perception/Match to Sample, VP-MTS 13-M, Completes 20 different block designs, parquetry shape puzzles, or similar tasks with at least 8 different pieces.
• Independent Play, IP 7-M, Independently demonstrates the use of toys or objects
• Motor Imitation, MI 5-M, Imitates 20 motor movements of any type (e.g., fine motor, gross motor, imitation with objects)

AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)

• Leisure, LS14, Participates in independent INDOOR activities at least 30 min
• Self Management, SM17, Remains calm when having trouble performing difficult or multiple step tasks
• Workplace Safety, WS31, Performs variety of fine motor tasks

DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria for Autism

• A2, Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication.

CDC’s Developmental Milestones

• 5 years, Cognitive Milestones, Pays attention for 5 to 10 minutes during activities. For example, during story time or making arts and crafts (screen time does not count)

Treatment Plan Goal Ideas

Select treatment plan goals that accurately encompass what you think the learner can accomplish in this skill area over the course of an authorization period (usually 6 months).

Treatment plan goal ideas for this particular skill area are as follows:

Learner will copy the therapist building a tower of about 10 blocks with no more than 1 gestural prompt.

Learner will copy the therapist building 3 different structures (e.g., wall, bridge, house) and play with each using a toy.

Learner will independently build with blocks when given a set of blocks, without further prompts.

Component Skills

Your learner may need to be fluent in these component skills first before introducing this goal/skill area. Component skills for this skill sequence may include skill areas that are fundamental to other areas. Fluency in the skill areas listed below may increase the likelihood that your learner will succeed in this skill sequence and those afterward.

Start at the top. Each indent is the next step.

• Intro to Reinforcer/Preference Expansion (RD-010)
• Single Actions with Common Toys (PL-010)
• Intro to Ring Stackers (PL-050)
• Intro to Blocks/Building (PL-060)
• Imitating Block Designs (IM-060)

📍 YOU ARE HERE: Advanced Block Building (PL-110)

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to build with blocks. Note that every learner is different and that you likely will need to tweak and vary some programming to their needs. Click the triangle icon to view the full description for each skill in the sequence/area.

Concurrent Skills

Working on these skills at the same time could help with goal mastery. Maybe your learner has mastered these skills already. Perhaps they are already listed as component skills above. That’s okay! Targeting other learning channels might help your learner.

Intro to Jigsaw Puzzles (PL-040)

Composite Skills

These are the possible next steps for learners who have mastered, or are mastering, the skills listed above. Note that new skill areas may require fluency in other component skills not listed above. Also, you can introduce composite skill sequences prematurely to keep your learner progressing, as generativity may occur earlier than expected.

Building with Legos (Coming Soon!)

Follow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.

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