Below is a general skill sequence for teaching the first stages of imitation
Imitating familiar routines is the next step in building essential skills for learners. Familiar routines are high probability task sequences that the child is likely to encounter on a daily basis, such as brushing their teeth or getting dressed. Building on the foundation established in the previous skill area of imitating preferred items and activities, the child will have a relatively solid pairing with imitation and be better prepared to move on to imitation during familiar routines. This skill is important because it lays the groundwork for the child to be able to respond to listener instructions during familiar routines, and it sets them up for success in imitating with objects in general.
Treatment Plan Goal Ideas
When developing a treatment plan for imitation with familiar routines, it is important to carefully consider the number of routines the learner is already familiar with. This will help ensure that the treatment plan goals are realistic and achievable, and that the child is set up for success. It's important to remember that treatment plan goals are long-term objectives, typically reflected in the authorization, and consist of a series of short-term targets that build up towards the overall goal. By breaking down the goal into smaller, achievable steps, the child can focus on mastering each individual step and make steady progress towards the larger objective.
Treatment plan goal ideas for this particular skill area are as follows:
Learner will imitate one action during from a familiar routine when modeled by an adult in the context of the familiar routine.
Learner will imitate three actions during from three familiar routines when modeled by an adult in the context of the familiar routine.
Learner will imitate five actions during from five familiar routines when modeled by an adult in the context of the familiar routine.
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
Imitates Actions with Preferred ItemsSkill Possibilities
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to imitate actions during familiar routines. 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.
Performs Action During Familiar Routines (LR)Imitates Actions with Preferred ItemsComposite 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.
Imitation with Uni-Functional ToysFollow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
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