Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners increase their range in reinforcers.

This skill area addresses multiple targets for improving eye contact. It builds on skills that are targeted for following gestures and sets the stage to help the learner target more complex social skills. It is important to note that the therapist and BCBA should take great care to refrain from making this process aversive to the learner. In fact, making eye contact can be a fun and rewarding experience for both the learner and the therapist when programmed for in the appropriate fashion. By breaking down the skill into smaller components and gradually increasing the level of difficulty, the learner may build confidence and success in making eye contact.

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 on a stair case. The treatment plan goal is the staircase itself. Treatment plan goal ideas for this particular skill area are as follows:

Learner will look through a 12 inch cylinder and make eye contact with another individual.
After a preferred item or activity is removed and their name is called, the learner will make eye contact with the person that called their name.
When a peer has a preferred item or activity that the learner is motivated to engage with, the learner will make eye contact when requesting the item or activity that are motivated for.
When engaged with a preferred item or activity and the learner’s name is called from a distance of at least 10 feet, the learner will orient and make eye contact with the speaker.

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

Following Gestures

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to engage in eye contact . 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 Gets edible for making eye contact (1:1)

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#2 Gets edible for making eye contact (1:3-5)

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#3 Gets edible for making eye contact (1:10)

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#4 Looks into a larger item

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#5 Looks in cylinder with a gesture

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#6 Looks in cylinder

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#7 Makes eye contact through 12-inch cylinder

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#8 Makes eye contact through 6-inch cylinder

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#9 Makes eye contact through 2-3 inch cylinder

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#10 Makes eye contact when name is called (after SR+ removed)

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#11 Makes eye contact when manding

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#12 Makes eye contact with peer when manding

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#13 Makes eye contact at 3-5 feet (w/ verbal)

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#14 Makes eye contact at 10+ feet (w/ verbal)

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#15 Makes eye contact at 3-5 feet (during SR+)

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#16 Makes eye contact at 10 feet (during SR+)

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.

Following Gestures

Intro to Joint Attention (Coming soon!)

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.