Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners identify common classes in 2D array.
As learners process through conceptualizing common items, we advance towards their conceptualizing the components or features of those common items. And, as they proceed through mastery in regard to their features, we introduce the common classes or categories that we see common items exist in. Working on this conceptualizations follows the same strategy that we’ve used in the past. We begin with matching and then proceed to receptive identification (depending on the learning rate of the individual). Once we’ve effectively taught receptive identification in regard to common classes, we may choose to introduce labeling these classes, if applicable.
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 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, LR 6-M, Selects the correct item from a messy array of 6 for 40 different objects or pictures (e.g., Find cat. Touch ball.)
AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)
Basic Communication, BC9, Labels common objects
Community Knowledge, CK17, Identifies items in the community
Household Mechanics, HM22, Lists objects found in different rooms
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
2 years, Language/Communication Milestones, Points to things in a book when you ask, like “Where is the bear?”
30 months, Language/Communication Milestones, Names things in a book when you point and ask, “What is this?”
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 receptively identify 5 common FFC classes or categories when presented in an array of 5.
Learner will receptively identify 10 common FFC classes or categories when presented in an array of 5.
Learner will receptively identify 15 common FFC classes or categories when presented in an array of 5.
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.
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to ID common classes. 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 Rec IDs Picture of Multiple Animals (Ao5)
How to Run
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common animals.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the animals!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing animals.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common vehicles.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the vehicles!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing vehicles.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common electronics.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the electronics!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing electronics.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common foods.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the food!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing food.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common drinks.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the drinks!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing drinks.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common toys.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the toys!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing toys.
#7 Rec IDs Picture of Multiple Bathroom Items (Ao5)
How to Run
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common bathroom items.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the bathroom items!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing bathroom items.
#8 Rec IDs Picture of Multiple Kitchen Items (Ao5)
How to Run
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common kitchen items.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the kitchen items!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing kitchen items.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common farm animals.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the farm animals!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing farm animals.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common tools.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the tools!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing tools.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common dishes.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the dishes!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing dishes.
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common pieces of furniture.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the furniture!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing furniture.
#13 Rec IDs Picture of Multiple Classroom Items (Ao5)
How to Run
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common classroom items.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the classroom items!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing classroom items.
#14 Rec IDs Picture of Multiple Clothing Items (Ao5)
How to Run
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five common clothing items.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to the clothing items!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
5 pictures of common categories with one picture representing clothing items.
#15 Rec IDs Picture of Multiple Family Members (Ao5)
How to Run
Present an array of 5 large pictures where each picture has five members of a specific class. One of the pictures should be a picture of five family members.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Ask them to find the/point to the/give you the class. “Point to your family!”
Learner should select the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
Please acquire pictures of the learner’s family members and put them one sheet of paper to add to the array of other classes.
Two identical sheets of family members and 4 other sheets representing different classes.
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.
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-Receptively Identifies Common Classes in 2D Array 2.0 (Coming Soon!)
Follow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
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Research and Resources
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Disclaimer
Consistent with ethical obligations outlined by the Behavior Analysis Certification Board (BACB), users acknowledge that goal selection/direction is the responsibility of the BCBA. Users understand that goals should be tailored to the learner while ultimately involving the input of clients/stakeholders. Users understand their ethical obligations to the client/stakeholder concerning the selection, implementation, design, and minimization of risk regarding behavior change interventions as outlined in BACB Code. As such, this skill sequence serves as a general framework for generating ideas around this particular skill area and not as an assessment or curriculum.
Problem? Question? Suggestion? We want to hear from you!
Intro to Scanning 
Intro to Matching (Visual Perception) 
Following Gestures
Matches Common Items in 2D Array 1.0 (Identical)
Matches Common Items in 2D Array 1.0 (Non-identical)
Receptively IDs Common Items in 2D Array
Receptively IDs Common Items in 2D Array (Multiple Examples)
FFC-Receptively IDs Common FFC Item in 2D Array 
FFC-Receptively IDs Common FFC Item in 2D Array (3 Examples)
FFC-Receptively IDs Common Features in 2D Array 
FFC-Receptively IDs Common Features in 2D Array (3 Examples) 
FFC-Receptively IDs Common Functions and Actions in 2D Array
FFC-Labels Common Classes in 2D Array 
FFC-Receptively IDs Item Given Class in 2D Array