Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners label their first set of common items.
Labeling of common items 1.0 forms the basis of our introductory labeling programs. This is designed to build on the understanding that students have gained from the receptive identification and matching of these same items. Progression in this area is pivotal. Ultimately, this skill area paves the way for the labeling of a broader range of common items as well as common actions. Make sure to target multiple items at the same time to guard against wrote memorization.
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 5-M, Tacts 10 items (common objects, body parts, pictures, or people)
Tact, T 6-M, Tacts 25 items when asked “what’s that?”
AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)
Basic Communication, BC9, Labels common objects
Community Knowledge, CK17, Identifies items in the community
Tools, TO3, Identifies different types of nails
Household Mechanics, HM21, Labels objects in common rooms
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?”
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 label five common items when presented in 2D or 3D.
Learner will label 10 common items when presented 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.
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to label common items. 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 Dog
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Hold up a picture of a dog. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a ball. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a book. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a cup. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a car. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a drink. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a nose. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a banana. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a key. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of some cookies. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a toilet. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of toys. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
Hold up a picture of a phone. Point to it if necessary.
Ask the learner “What is this?/What is it?”
Learner should correctly label the corresponding picture.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to be working on multiple tacting/labeling goals at once to ensure that the learner doesn’t develop a rote/memorized response that generalizes across all future pictures.
As the learner gains the ability to engage in multiple trials at once, have a stack of multiple pictures and cycle through them in a “flashcard” like process. This will increase trial rates, prevent rote memorizations, and could expedite mastery and fluency.
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.
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.
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Email us at bxmastery@flatrockadvice.com
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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 Multiple Examples of Common Items 1.0
Labels Common Items 2.0 
Labels Common Actions 1.0
Labels Familiar People
Labels Common Colors in 2D
Intro to Counting (3D)
Labels Numbers 1-15