Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners follow gestures with consistency.
Manding for locations is a critical skill that becomes more relevant for learners as they begin to mand for things that are out of sight or missing. When a learner wants something specific, they may not know where it is, or they may need assistance in finding it. In such cases, manding for locations can be an efficient way for learners to get what they want. For example, if a learner wants a toy that is in the playroom, manding for the playroom will yield a variety of reinforcers. It is essential to teach learners to mand for locations as part of their communication training. This skill can be taught by pairing a location with a preferred item, allowing learners to see the connection between the two, and gradually fading prompts to teach independent manding for locations.
It’s also important to point out that this is a skill area that should be revisited and targeted continually as the learner’s preferences in location change. The list of skills below are not listed in sequence as not every learner is motivated for all the the locations mentioned. Make sure to use targets that your learner is motivated for and write treatment plan goals that reflect their preferences as well. For example, don’t target 10 locations in an authorization period if your learner is not motivated for items or activities in 10 different locations.
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:
When motivated for items and activities in a different location, learner will mand for that location.
When motivated for items and activities in a different location, learner will mand for that location across three different locations.
When motivated for items and activities in a different location, learner will mand for that location across five different locations.
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
Intro to Manding
Manding for Actions 
Echoic-to-Mand TransfersSkill Possibilities
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to mand for locations. 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.
Matches Familiar Locations in 2D Array (Identical)
Mands for EscapeManding for Actions 
Manding for Attention
Mands for Missing Items
Intro to Toileting 
Receptively IDs Familiar Locations in 2D ArrayComposite 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.
2-3 Word Mands Follow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
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