Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners approach others when they asked to go to them.

Teaching a learner to approach others upon request is a foundational element in both social and classroom development. Socially, it equips learners for gross motor game play, where heeding the directives of others becomes vital. Academically, it represents the initial stage of remote instruction, where the learner must respond to directions given from a distance. Moreover, mastering this skill has significant safety implications. When learners can reliably respond to an instruction to approach a caregiver, it enables that caregiver to verbally redirect the learner from potentially hazardous situations, even from afar.

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)

Listener Responding, LR 1-M, Attends to a speaker’s voice by making eye contact with the speaker 5 times
Listener Responding, LR 2-M, Responds to hearing his own name 5 times

AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)

Basic Communication, BC1, Follows instructions
Basic Mobility, MB8, Comes back to caregiver when called
Basic Skills, BS1, Follows simple verbal directions

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

9 months, Social/Emotional Milestones, Looks when you call their name
15 months, Language/Communication Milestones, Follows directions given with both a gesture and words. For example, they give you a toy when you hold out your hand and say, “Give me the toy.”
18 months, Language/Communication Milestones, Follows one-step directions without any gestures, like giving you the toy when you say, “Give it to me.”

Treatment Plan Goal Ideas

This is a list of treatment plan goals. These are different from the goals you will find in the skill sequence below. Your treatment plan goals encompass any number of goals from the skill sequence. Sometime they will include multiple goals from the sequence (”Learner will label 5 toys”) and sometimes the treatment plan goal will be simply consist of a really important goal from the skill sequence (”Will label caregiver”). An analogy I like to use goes as follows: Each skill sequence goal (commonly known as a “target”) represent each stair in a flight of stairs. The treatment plan goal is the flight itself.

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

Learner will approach a therapist when asked to do so from a distance of 10 feet for social reinforcement.
Learner will approach a peer when asked to do so from a distance of 10 feet for social reinforcement.

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.

Intro to Reinforcer/Preference Expansion

Performs Preferred Action with Preferred Item (LR)

Performs Action During Familiar Routines (LR)

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability toapproach others when asked. 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.

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#1 Comes to Therapist for High-Value SR+

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#2 Comes to Therapist for High-Value SR+ (10 feet)

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#3 Comes to Therapist for Mod-Value SR+ (10 feet)

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#4 Comes to Therapist for Continuation of High-Value SR+ (10 feet)

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#5 Comes to Therapist for Social Praise (10 feet)

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#6 Comes to Peer for High-Value SR+

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#7 Comes to Peer for High-Value SR+ (10+ feet)

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#8 Comes to Peer for Mod-Value SR+ (10 feet)

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#9 Comes to Peer for Continuation of High-Value SR+ (10 feet)

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#10 Comes to Peer for Social Praise (10 feet)

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 Sitting

Performs Actions with Uni-Functional Toys (LR)

Intro to Handholding

Intro to Peers

Greetings (Non-Verbal)

Transitioning With Others

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.