Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners match the most basic forms of emotional representations.
We all know the groundwork for grasping emotions starts with decoding those subtle cues—body language and facial expressions, right? But what about our learners who aren't quite there with receptive identification? Enter the world of matching, especially with something as straightforward as emoticons. Yep, these tiny symbols can serve as stepping stones, potentially setting the scene for recognizing real-life facial expressions and, down the line, situational emotional scenarios.
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)
Visual Perception/Match to Sample, VP-MTS 6-M, Matches identical objects or pictures in a messy array of 6 for 25 items.
Visual Perception/Match to Sample, VP-MTS 8-M, Matches identical objects or pictures in a messy array of 8 containing 3 similar stimuli, for 25 items (e.g., matches a dog to a dog in an array that also contains a cat, pig, and pony)
AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)
Basic Communication, BC10, Labels common people (actual individuals, not professionals)
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, Cognitive Milestones, Shows simple problem-solving skills, like standing on a small stool to reach something
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 match five different identical emoticons in an array of 15.
Learner will match ten different identical emoticons in an array of 15.
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 match emoticons in a 2D array. 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 Matches Smiling Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a smiling one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a smiling emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: “Match smiling/happy!”
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Make sure to continually label the emotion (happy) and the expression (smiling).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they’ll receptively identify “smiling” and/or “happy” from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a smiling emoticon.
Materials
14 pictures of familiar or recognizable locations. 2 additional, identical pictures of the learner’s home.
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#2 Matches Sleeping Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a sleeping one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a sleeping emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: "Match sleeping!"
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Continually label the emotion (sleeping) and emphasize the expression (closed eyes, relaxed face).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they'll receptively identify "sleeping" from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a sleeping emoticon.
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#3 Matches Laughing Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a laughing one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a laughing emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: "Match laughing!"
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Continually label the emotion (laughing) and emphasize the expression (open mouth, squinty eyes).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they'll receptively identify "laughing" from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a laughing emoticon.
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#4 Matches Crying Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a crying one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a crying emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: "Match crying!"
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Continually label the emotion (crying) and emphasize the expression (tears, sad face).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they'll receptively identify "crying" from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a crying emoticon.
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#5 Matches Screaming Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a screaming one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a screaming emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: "Match screaming!"
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Continually label the emotion (screaming) and emphasize the expression (open mouth, hands at face).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they'll receptively identify "screaming" from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a screaming emoticon.
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#6 Matches Blushing Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a blushing one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a blushing emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: "Match blushing!"
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Continually label the emotion (blushing) and emphasize the expression (red cheeks).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they'll receptively identify "blushing" from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a blushing emoticon.
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#7 Matches Thinking Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a thinking one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a thinking emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: "Match thinking!"
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Continually label the emotion (thinking) and emphasize the expression (hand on chin, thoughtful look).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they'll receptively identify "thinking" from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a thinking emoticon.
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#8 Matches Frowning Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a frowning one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a frowning emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: "Match frowning!"
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Continually label the emotion (frowning) and emphasize the expression (down-turned mouth, sad/angry expression).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they'll receptively identify "frowning" from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a frowning emoticon.
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#9 Matches Yelling Emoticon (Ao15)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Present 15 pictures of emoticons in front of them with one of the pictures being a yelling one.
Give the learner an identical (or near identical) picture of a yelling emoticon.
Instruct the learner to match: "Match yelling!"
Learner should match to the identical picture.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Continually label the emotion (yelling) and emphasize the expression (open mouth, angry brow, %&^%@#).
As the learner gains fluency, test to see if they'll receptively identify "yelling" from the array when you ask them to find it.
Materials
14 pictures of emoticons with various expressions. 1 additional, identical picture of a yelling emoticon.
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.
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.
Matching Cartoon Expressions & Emotions in 2D Array (Coming Soon!)
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)
Matches Familiar People in 2D Array (Identical)
Matches Numbers 1-15 in 2D Array (Identical)
Matches Uppercase Letters in 2D Array (Identical)
Matches Lowercase Letters in 2D Array (Identical)
Receptively IDs Emoticon Expressions in 2D Array