Below is a general skill sequence for helping name common features for common items.

Once our learners have nailed down the art of tackling "what" questions and the concept of features becomes second nature to them, it's time to up the ante. We're going to bridge the gap from simply recognizing features to identifying them based on the item's name alone. This sequence is all about fine-tuning those identification skills, paving the way to deeper understanding and use of language. As our learners master this skill, this may open the door to the exciting world of functions, classes, and the items that fall within them.

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)

• Intraverbal, IV 9-M, Answers 25 different what questions (e.g., What do you like to eat?)
• Listener Responding By Function, Feature, and Class, LRFFC 7-M, Selects the correct item from an array of 8, for 25 different LRFFC fill-in statements of any type (e.g., You sit on a …)
• Listener Responding By Function, Feature, and Class, LRFFC 9-M, Selects an item given 3 different verbal statements about each item when independently presented (e.g., Find an animal. What barks? What has paws?) for 25 items.

AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)

• Basic Communication, BC13, Labels adjectives (identify properties of objectives: color, size, shape, texture)
• Basic Communication, BC17, Answers "What" questions regarding home, school and community (e.g. "what" questions regarding items found in the home, school and community)
• Community Knowledge, CK17, Identifies items in the community
• Household Mechanics, HM22, Lists objects found in different rooms
• Money, MO1, Sorts money
• Laundry, LY1, Sorts laundry by color

DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria for Autism

• A1, Deficits in social-emotional reciprocity, ranging, for example, from abnormal social approach and failure of normal back-and-forth conversation; to reduced sharing of interests, emotions, or affect; to failure to initiate or respond to social interactions.

CDC’s Developmental Milestones

• 4 years, Language/Communication Milestones, Answers simple questions like “What is a coat for?” or “What is a crayon for?”
• 5 years, Language/Communication Milestones, Answers simple questions about a book or story after you read or tell it to him

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 intraverbally identify the corresponding features of an item when asked to do so for 15 common items.
• Learner will intraverbally identify the corresponding features of an item when asked to do so for 25 common items.
• Learner will intraverbally identify the corresponding features of an item when asked to do so for 50 common items.

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 Scanning Intro to Matching (Visual Perception) Following GesturesMatches Common Items in 2D Array 1.0 (Identical)Receptively IDs Common Items in 2D ArrayLabels Common Items 1.0Labels Multiple Examples of Common Items 1.0

FFC-Labels Common FFC Item (Coming Soon!)

FFC-Labels Common Features FFC-Names Item Given Feature (IV)

Filling In Common SongsFilling In Common Phrases Filling In Personal InformationFilling in Familiar People

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to name features. 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.

FFC -Matches Common Features in 2D Array (Identical)

FFC-Receptively IDs Common Features in 2D Array

FFC-Labels Common Features

FFC-Labels Common Features (3 Examples)

FFC-Receptively IDs Item Given Feature in 2D Array

FFC-Names Item Given Feature (IV)

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.

FFC-Names Functions/Actions Given Item (IV)

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

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