Below is a general list of skills to target in looking to increase manding for negative reinforcement.
Learners are just as motivated to mand away from non-preferred situations as they are to mand for preferred situations. However, programming for teaching escape mands is often overlooked. This skill sequences stresses the important of teaching mands for escape and provides target options to do so.
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)
- Mand, M 5-M, Emits 10 mands w/o prompts except item and/or “What do you want?”
- Mand, M 8-M, Emits 5 different 2 word mands (not including “I want”).
AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)
- Basic Communication, BC3, Uses communication device
- Basic Communication, BC4, Spontaneous requests for items and activities
- Self Management, SM17, Remains calm when having trouble performing difficult or multiple step tasks
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
- 2 years, Cognitive Milestones, Says at least two words together, like “More milk.”
Treatment Plan Goal Ideas
Treatment plan goal ideas for this particular skill area are as follows:
When presented with lesser preferred items, activities, and/or edibles, learner will shake their head to indicate a desire to escape.
When residing in a lesser preferred area, learner will gesture to “go” to escape the area.
When engaging in lesser preferred activities, learner will use a break card to indicate a need to escape.
When presented with a lesser preferred item, activity, and/or edible, learner will say “no” or “no, thank you” without engaging in significant problem behavior.
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 MandingSkill Possibilities
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to mand for escape. 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.
Manding for Attention
Manding for Actions 
Mands for Missing ItemsComposite 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.
Manding for Locations
2-3 Word Mands Follow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
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