Below is a general skill sequence for starting to work on listener responding with your learner.
To encourage listener responding in children, it can be helpful to begin with having them follow instructions for preferred actions that are associated with activities they enjoy. By focusing on these preferred activities, the child is more likely to be motivated and engaged, which increases their chances of success. Pairing listener responding tasks with reinforcement can also create positive associations with the activity, further boosting the child's motivation. As the child becomes more skilled and confident in engaging in listener responding during these preferred actions, they will be better equipped to follow instructions during familiar routines, which can foster important skills like independence and self-help. This can also serve as a foundation for developing more advanced imitation skills.
Treatment Plan Goal Ideas
Treatment plan goals for teaching this skill area is a little different than others. Since this skill area is linked with preferred items and activities, your treatment plan goal should reflect the number of high value preferred items and activities your learner enjoys. For example, if your learner only prefers to play with three toys, you likely won’t write a treatment plan goal for having them engage in listener responding tasks across 10 actions with 10 toys. That is because they likely won’t be motivated to complete the actions as they are not motivated for ten toys (but only three instead).
Treatment plan goal ideas for this particular skill area are as follows:
Learner will engage in one preferred action with one preferred toy or activity when instructed to do so by an adult.
Learner will engage in three preferred actions with three preferred toys or activities when instructed to do so by an adult.
Learner will engage in five preferred actions with five preferred toys or activities when instructed to do so by an adult.
Learner will engage in ten preferred actions with ten preferred toys or activities when instructed to do so by an adult.
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.
Imitates Actions with Preferred Items
Single Actions with Common ToysSkill Possibilities
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to perform preferred actions with preferred 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.
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.
Single Actions with Common ToysImitates Actions with Preferred Items
Imitates Actions During Familiar RoutinesComposite 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.
Performs Action During Familiar Routines (LR)Follow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
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