Imitates Actions with Preferred Items
Imitates Actions with Preferred Items

Imitates Actions with Preferred Items

Below is a general skill sequence for starting to work on imitation with your learner.

Teaching kids to imitate preferred actions associated with preferred activities is an important step in their overall development. Firstly, by focusing on preferred activities, there is a higher probability that the child will be motivated and engaged in the task, increasing the likelihood that they will successfully complete it. Additionally, pairing imitation with reinforcement will help establish positive associations with the activity, further increasing the child's motivation. Further, as the child becomes more confident and skilled in imitating these preferred actions, it will lay a strong foundation for them to transition into imitating familiar routines, which will help them develop essential skills such as independence and self-help. Finally, it lays a strong foundation for working on Listener Responding skills.

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)

  • Motor Imitation, MI 5-M, Imitates 20 motor movements of any type (e.g., fine motor, gross motor, imitation with objects)
  • Motor Imitation, MI 7-M, Imitates 20 different fine motor actions when prompted, Do this (e.g., wiggling fingers, pinching, making a fist, making a butterfly)

AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)

  • Basic Communication, BC1, Follows instructions
  • Social Awareness & Manners, SA1, Returns appropriate greetings
  • 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

  • 18 months, Cognitive Milestones, Copies you doing chores, like sweeping with a broom

Treatment Plan Goal Ideas

Treatment plan goals for teaching this skill area is a little different than others. Since imitation is linked with preferred items and activities for this skill area, your treatment plan goal should reflect the number of high value preferred items and activities your learner enjoys. For example, if your learner only prefers to play with three toys, you likely won’t write a treatment plan goal for having them imitate 10 actions with 10 toys. That is because they likely won’t be motivated to complete the actions as they are not motivated for ten toys (but only three instead).

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

Learner will imitate one preferred action with one preferred toy or activity when modeled by an adult.

Learner will imitate three preferred actions with three preferred toys or activities when modeled by an adult.

Learner will imitate five preferred actions with five preferred toys or activities when modeled by an adult.

Learner will imitate ten preferred actions with ten preferred toys or activities when modeled by an adult.

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 ExpansionIntro to Reinforcer/Preference Expansion

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to imitate actions with preferred items. 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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Imitates Pushing Button on Preferred
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Imitates Shaking Preferred Item
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Imitates Throwing Preferred Item
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Imitates Tapping Preferred Item
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Imitates Spinning Preferred Item
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Imitates Stretching Preferred Item
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Imitates Rolling Preferred Item
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Imitates Waving Preferred Item
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Imitates Jumping on/on to preferred Item
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Imitates running to a preferred item/as a preferred activity

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.

Single Actions with Common ToysSingle Actions with Common ToysPerforms Preferred Action with Preferred Item (LR)Performs Preferred Action with Preferred Item (LR)

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.

Imitates Actions During Familiar RoutinesImitates Actions During Familiar Routines

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

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Research and Resources
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Disclaimer

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