Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners take turns during play activities.
Turn-taking stands as a cornerstone in the evolution of game play, as well as broader social and relational development for learners. Establishing a strong foundation begins with ensuring mastery in foundational areas such as scanning, matching, gestures, and listener responding with uni-functional objects. Familiarity with specific items, notably puzzles, bolsters the learning process. Concurrently, targeting jigsaw puzzles, inset puzzles, ring stackers, shape sorters, and multi-functional toys can significantly enhance skill acquisition. Once a learner attains mastery in this domain, they are better equipped to engage in more intricate game play and shared experiences with peers, fostering richer social interactions.
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)
- Social Behavior and Social Play, SBSP 8-M, Engages in sustained social play with peers for 3 minutes without adult prompts or reinforcement (e.g., cooperatively setting up a play set, water play) (timed observation 30 minutes)
- Group, G 9-M, Sits in a small group or 3 or more children for 5 minutes without disruptive behavior or attempting to leave the group.
AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)
- Social Awareness & Manners, SA37, Takes turns conversing in groups
- Social Awareness & Manners, SA44, Shares friends with others
- Self Management, SM18, Remains calm when group or friend makes decision that learner must follow
- Leisure, LS19, Participates in structured group activities (clubs, dance, scout)
DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria for Autism
- A3, Deficits in developing, maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.
CDC’s Developmental Milestones
- 5 years, Social/Emotional Milestones, Follows rules or takes turns when playing games with other children
- 5 years, Cognitive Milestones, Pays attention for 5 to 10 minutes during activities. For example, during story time or making arts and crafts (screen time does not count)
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 take turns with a highly preferred item for 10 turns/exchanges.
- Learner will take turns during play activity for 10 turns/exchanges across 3 non-game play activities.
- Learner will take turns during play activity for 25 turns/exchanges when there are ate least three other peers or platers.
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
Intro to Scanning 
Following Gestures
Intro to Matching (Visual Perception) 
Performs Preferred Action with Preferred Item (LR)
Performs Action During Familiar Routines (LR)
Performs Actions with Uni-Functional Toys (LR)
Intro to Ring StackersIntro to Shape Sorters (Coming Soon!)
Intro to Blocks/Building 
Intro to Puzzles 
Intro to PeersSkill Possibilities
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to take turns. 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 Jigsaw PuzzlesIntro to Ring Stackers
Performs Action with Multi-Functional ToysIntro to Shape Sorters (Coming Soon!)
Intro to Blocks/Building 
Game Play: MemoryComposite 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.
Intro to Board Games Game Play: MemoryFollow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
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