Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners use hangers.

As learners progress in acquiring more complex dressing behaviors, an essential next step is teaching them the concept of "putting away" their clothes. A pivotal skill in this regard is learning to hang items on hangers. This skill area is specifically designed to address that task. While it doesn't cover the intricacies of buttoning, it effectively introduces the basic idea of organizing and maintaining personal spaces for learners who are prepared for this level of responsibility. By focusing on hanging clothes, we not only enhance their dressing skills but also instill a sense of order and cleanliness. This skill is crucial for learners ready to take a step towards independence by managing and taking care of their personal belongings, contributing to their overall self-care and organizational abilities.

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, LR 4-M, Performs 4 different motor actions on command without a visual prompt (e.g., Can you jump? Show me clapping)
• Visual Perception/Match to Sample, VP-MTS 2-M, Grasps small objects with thumb, index finger, and middle finger (pincer grasp) 5 times

AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)

• Basic Communication, BC1, Follows instructions
• Clothing and Laundry, CL7, Hangs clothes to dry (as needed)
• Clothing and Laundry, CL15, Select appropriate hanger
• Clothing and Laundry, CL18, Use standard hanger

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

• 5 years, Social/Emotional Milestones, Does simple chores at home, like matching socks or clearing the table after eating

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 hang up a coat, jacket, or a button up shirt on a hanger with minimal prompting across three shirts, coats, or jackets.
• Learner will independently hang up a coat, jacket, or a button up shirt on a hanger across three shirts, coats, or jackets.

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

Single Actions with Common Toys

Performs Preferred Action with Preferred Item (LR)

Performs Action During Familiar Routines (LR)

Intro to Dressing

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to functionally hang clothes on hangers. 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.

Intro to Dressing

Putting On Coats & Button Ups

Putting Away Clothing (Coming Soon!)

Discarding Dirty Clothing (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.

Folding Pants (Coming Soon!)

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

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