Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners wait in public spaces.
As learners gain fluency in hand holding and sitting, it may be time to introduce having them wait in more public and populated areas. This particular skill sequence begins the process of teaching learners to stay seated in populated areas while engaging with alternative behaviors/reinforcement. As the learner gains fluency here, caregivers may be more inclined to engage in more activities in the community. Further, this skill area preps the clinician/teacher to begin targeting waiting in line and waiting while standing in general.
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 remain seated for 10 minutes in a public area while engaging in high value activities.
- Learner will remain seated for 10 minutes in a public area while engaging with fidget and/or age appropriate toys throughout the duration.
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
Performs Preferred Action with Preferred Item (LR)
Performs Action During Familiar Routines (LR)
Intro to Sitting 
Approaching Others When AskedSkill Possibilities
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to wait in public areas. 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 Sitting 
Waiting in Line
Intro to Circle TimeComposite 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.
Waiting in LineFollow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
Problem? Question? Suggestion? We want to hear from you!
Email us at bxmastery@flatrockadvice.com
We’ll try to get back with you as soon as we can!
Ⓒ 2022-2024. Flatrock Advising, LLC. bxmastery.com.