Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners conceptualize sharp and dull objects.
It’s imperative to target skills that improve the learner’s quality of life. One great way to do this is to work on skills related to safety. The more a learner can navigate away from the unsafe features of their environment, the more likely they are to stay safe. One dangerous area of our lives has to do with sharp objects. It may come as a surprise to you that many of our learners go through a significant portion of their therapy without being able to identify “sharp” and “dangerous”. This skill area seeks to do just that by having the learner label certain objects while also labeling them as sharp/dangerous or dull/safe. This skill area seeks to target these objects from a 2D perspective. Per the usual, it’s important to keep your learner safe at all times.
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?”
Linguistic Structure, LS 6-M, The child’s articulation of 10 tacts can be understood by familiar adults who cannot see the item tacted.
Health, Safety & First Aid, HS8, Receptively identifies poisonous or dangerous household items
Workplace Safety, WS6, Avoids dangers related to knives
Workplace Safety, WS9, Avoids dangers related to broken glass
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
4 years, Social/Emotional Milestones, Avoids danger, like not jumping from tall heights at
the playground
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 sharp objects as sharp and/or dangerous when presented with a picture of that item.
Learner will correctly label 5 dull objects as dull and/or safe when presented with a picture of that item.
Learner will correctly label 10 sharp objects as sharp and/or dangerous when presented with a picture of that item.
Learner will correctly label 10 dull objects as dull and/or safe when presented with a picture of that item.
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 follow instructions and discriminate between sharp and dull objects. 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 Identifies Pairing Knife as Sharp/Dangerous
How to Run
Present picture of a pairing knife.
Ask the learner if it is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or pick up the item. “Should we touch or pick up the knife?”
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce heavily with social praise. “You’re right! Knives are dangerous! We shouldn’t touch them.”
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "dull/safe" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "sharp/dangerous".
Ask the learner if it is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or pick up the item. “Should we touch or pick up the knife?”
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce heavily with social praise. “You’re right! Knives are dangerous! We shouldn’t touch them.”
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a pair of scissors to the learner.
Ask the learner if the scissors are sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or use the scissors.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a pair of scissors to the learner.
Ask the learner if the scissors are sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or use the scissors.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Ask the learner if the nail is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or play with the nail.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a spoon or an actual spoon (or similar).
Ask the learner if the spoon is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they can touch or play with the spoon.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other “sharp/dangerous” programs to ensure the learner’s responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing “dull/safe”.
Ask the learner if the saw blade is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or interact with the saw blade.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Ask the learner if the needle is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or play with the needle.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a kitchen item, such as a spatula or a whisk, to the learner.
Ask the learner if the kitchen item is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they can touch the kitchen item.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Ask the learner if the pin is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or play with the pin.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a piece of broken glass to the learner.
Ask the learner if the broken glass is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or interact with the broken glass.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a tool, such as a wrench or a hammer, to the learner.
Ask the learner if the tool is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a piece/many pieces of broken glass to the learner.
Ask the learner if the broken glass is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or interact with the broken glass.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a butcher knife to the learner.
Ask the learner if the butcher knife is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or pick up the butcher knife.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a razor blade to the learner.
Ask the learner if the razor blade is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or interact with the razor blade.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Ask the learner if the jig blade is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or play with the jig blade.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
Present a picture of a blender blade to the learner.
Ask the learner if the blender blade is sharp and dangerous or dull and safe.
Learner should respond correctly.
Ask the learner if they should touch or play with the blender blade.
Learner should respond correctly.
Reinforce accordingly.
Additional Notes
Intermingle this program repeatedly throughout the other "sharp/dangerous" programs to ensure the learner's responses are not rote in nature and that they are properly conceptualizing "dull/safe".
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.
Labels Open & Closed
Labels Hard & Soft
Labels Long & Short
Labels Big & Little
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)
Receptively IDs Common Items in 2D Array
Labels Common Items 1.0
FFC-Labels Common Features 
Labels Clean & Dirty 
Labels Wet & Dry 
Labels Hot & Cold