Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners sort common stimuli.
As learners get the hang of matching multiple stimuli, it may be time to consider teaching them basic sorting behaviors. This can come in incredibly handy on a functional level and may increase a general conceptualization for classes and categories down the road. This skill area seeks to teach the basics of sorting multiple matching stimuli to set the tone for sorting non-identical stimuli.
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)
Visual Perception/Match to Sample, VP-MTS 7-M, Sorts similar colors and shapes for 10
different colors or shapes given models (e.g., given red, blue, and green bowls and a pile of red, blue, and green bears the child sorts the items by color)
Visual Perception/Match to Sample, VP-MTS 14-M, Sorts 5 items from 5 different categories
without a model (e.g., star, triangle, heart, star, triangle….)
AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)
Money, MO1, Sorts money
Restaurant Skills, RS10, Sorts silverware
Fixed Activity Skills, FA1, Sorts items
Custodial and Cleaning, CS27, Sorts recycling vs. trash
Laundry, LY1, Sorts laundry by color
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
30 months, Cognitive Milestones, Shows simple problem-solving skills, like standing on a small stool to reach something
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 sort five sets of five identical pictures into piles from a pile of 30 pictures.
Learner will ten sets of five identical pictures into piles from a pile of 50 pictures.
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 sort identical pictures. 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 Sorts identical pics of a dog (Ao3)
How to Run
Present an array of 3 pictures with one of them being a picture of a dog.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Give the learner a stack of 10 pictures, in random order, with four of the pics being identical pictures of the dog.
Pictures in the array of 3 should not match pictures in the pile you give the learner (except for the dog).
Instruct the learner to “Sort dog”.
Learner should move through the pile one by one and put each identical picture of the dog on top of the identical picture of the dog in the array.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Present an array of 3 pictures with one of them being a picture of a dog and a picture of a ball.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Give the learner a stack of 14 pictures, in random order, with four of the pics being identical pictures of the dog and four pictures being identical pictures of the ball
The third picture in the array of 3 should not match pictures in the pile thatyou give the learner (except for the dog and the ball).
Instruct the learner to “Sort dog and ball”.
Learner should move through the pile one by one and put each identical picture of the dog and ball on their corresponding pictures in the array.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
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#3 Sorts identical pics of dog, ball, & book (Ao3)
How to Run
Present an array of 3 pictures: A ball, a dog, and a book.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Give the learner a stack of 20 pictures, in random order, with four of the pics being identical pictures of the dog, the ball, and the book.
The remaining pictures should be of random items and symbols.
Instruct the learner to “Sort!”
Learner should move through the pile , sorting the ball, dog, and book on to their corresponding match/pile.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Present an array of 5 pictures: A ball, a dog, a book, a person eating, and a picture of the learner’s primary caregiver.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Give the learner a stack of 30 pictures, in random order, with four of the pics being identical pictures of the dog, ball, book, person eating, and caregiver.
The remaining pictures should be of random items and symbols.
Instruct the learner to “Sort!”
Learner should move through the pile , sorting the ball, dog, book, person eating, and caregiver on to their corresponding match/pile.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
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#6 Sorts identical pics of dog, ball, book, “eating”, caregiver, and “blue” (Ao6)
How to Run
Present an array of 6 pictures: A ball, a dog, a book, a person eating, a picture of the learner’s primary caregiver, and a “blue” color card.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Give the learner a stack of 35 pictures, in random order, with four of the pics being identical pictures of the dog, ball, book, person eating, the caregiver, and the blue color card.
The remaining pictures should be of random items and symbols.
Instruct the learner to “Sort!”
Learner should move through the pile, sorting the ball, dog, book, person eating, caregiver, and blue color card on to their corresponding match/pile.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
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#7 Sorts identical pics of dog, ball, book, “eating”, caregiver, “blue”, and triangle (Ao7)
How to Run
Present an array of 7 pictures: A ball, a dog, a book, a person eating, a picture of the learner’s primary caregiver, a “blue” color card, and a picture of a basic triangle.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Give the learner a stack of 40 pictures, in random order, with four of the pics being identical pictures of the dog, ball, book, person eating, the caregiver, the blue color card, and the triangle.
The remaining pictures should be of random items and symbols.
Instruct the learner to “Sort!”
Learner should move through the pile, sorting the ball, dog, book, person eating, caregiver, blue color card, and triangle on to their corresponding match/pile.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
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#8 Sorts identical pics of dog, ball, book, “eating”, caregiver, “blue”, triangle, and “A” (Ao8)
How to Run
Present an array of 8 pictures: A ball, a dog, a book, a person eating, a picture of the learner’s primary caregiver, a “blue” color card, a triangle, and the letter “A”.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Give the learner a stack of 45 pictures, in random order, with four of the pics being identical pictures of the dog, ball, book, person eating, the caregiver, the blue color card, the triangle, and letter “A”.
The remaining pictures should be of random items and symbols.
Instruct the learner to “Sort!”
Learner should move through the pile, sorting the ball, dog, book, person eating, caregiver, blue color card, triangle, and letter “A” on to their corresponding match/pile.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
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#9 Sorts identical pics of dog, ball, book, “eating”, caregiver, “blue”, triangle, “A”, and “STOP” sign (Ao9)
How to Run
Present an array of 9 pictures: A ball, a dog, a book, a person eating, a picture of the learner’s primary caregiver, a “blue” color card, a triangle, the letter “A”, and a picture of a “Stop” sign.
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Give the learner a stack of 50 pictures, in random order, with four of the pics being identical pictures of the dog, ball, book, person eating, the caregiver, the blue color card, the triangle, letter “A”, and the “Stop” sign.
The remaining pictures should be of random items and symbols.
Instruct the learner to “Sort!”
Learner should move through the pile, sorting the ball, dog, book, person eating, caregiver, blue color card, triangle, letter “A”, and ‘Stop sign” on to their corresponding match/pile.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of.
Materials
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.
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.
Sorts Non-Identical Pictures in 2D (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 2.0 (Identical)
Matches Common Actions in 2D Array 1.0 (Identical)
Matches Familiar People in 2D Array (Identical)
Matches Colors in 2D Array
Matches Basic Shapes in 2D Array (Identical)
Matches Uppercase Letters in 2D Array (Identical)