Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners label common actions.

This skill area looks to introduce the labeling of common actions that have been targeted in the previous matching and receptive identification areas. It lis likely necessary for the learner to have a developed fluency in basic scanning, matching, receptive identification, and an ability to follow gestural prompts. This skill area may open the door for labeling these actions across multiple examples and the introduction of new more complex labeling as well.

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)

Tact, T 6-M, Tacts 25 items when asked “what’s that?”
Tact, T 8-M, Tacts 10 ongoing actions

AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)

Basic Communication, BC11, Labels common actions observed in home, school, or community setting

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, Language/Communication Milestones, Names things in a book when you point and ask, “What is this?”
3 years, Language/Communication Milestones, Says what action is happening in a picture or book when asked, like “running,” “eating,” or “playing”

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 correctly label 5 common actions when presented to them in 2D or 3D.
Learner will correctly label 10 common actions when presented to them in 2D or 3D.
Learner will correctly label 15 common actions when presented to them in 2D or 3D.

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

Intro to Matching (Visual Perception)

Following Gestures

Matches Common Items in 2D Array 1.0 (Identical)

Receptively IDs Common Items in 2D Array

Labels Common Items 1.0

Skill Possibilities

Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to label common actions. 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 Labels Eating

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#2 Labels Walking

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#3 Labels Drinking

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#4 Labels Hugging

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#5 Labels Crying

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#6 Labels Washing/Cleaning

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#7 Labels Giving/Handing

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#8 Labels Tickling

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#9 Labels Opening

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#10 Labels Breaking

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#11 Labels Throwing

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#12 Labels Playing

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#13 Labels Looking

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#14 Labels Splashing

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#15 Labels Riding

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#16 Labels Sliding

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#17 Labels Shutting

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#18 Labels Holding

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.

Labels Common Items 1.0

Matches Common Actions in 2D Array 1.0 (Identical)

Receptively IDs Common Actions in 2D Array 1.0

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.