Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners put on their shoes.
Tying one's shoes is a pivotal skill in the journey towards personal independence and self-dressing. Starting with oversized or adult-sized shoes can facilitate the learning process, ensuring the learner can initially put on their shoes with ease. Before embarking on this skill, it's likely essential for learners to have foundational abilities such as scanning, matching, and following gestures, along with engagement in tasks using uni-functional toys. Simultaneously, working on imitation and listener responding for one and two-step tasks can be beneficial, even if those skills are not yet fully mastered. Once a learner has achieved proficiency in this skill sequence, they may be well-prepared to progress to more advanced dressing behaviors, including tying their shoes.
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)
Independent Play, IP 11-M, Spontaneously engages in pretend or imaginary play on 5 occasions (e.g., dressing up, a pretend party with stuffed animals, pretends to cook).
Independent Play, IP 14-M, Independently engages in sustained play activites for 10 minutes without adult prompts or reinforcement (e.g., playing with a Etch-a-sketch, playing dress up).
Social Behavior and Social Play, SBSP 14-M, Engages in pretend social play activities with peers for 5 minutes without adult prompts (e.g., dress up play, acting out videos, playing house).
AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)
Dressing, DR3, Shoes on and off.
Dressing, DR4, Boots on and off.
Dressing, DR6, Ties shoes.
Dressing, DR26, Wears shoes according to activity or weather.
Dressing, DR29, Selects own clothes and dresses self.
Shopping, SH38, Selects correct sized shoe.
DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria for Autism
A3, Deficits in developing maintaining, and understanding relationships, ranging, for example, from difficulties adjusting behavior to suit various social contexts; to difficulties in sharing imaginative play or in making friends; to absence of interest in peers.
CDC’s Developmental Milestones
3 Years, Movement/Physical Development, Puts on some clothes by himself, like loose pants or a jacket.
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 given an oversized shoe, the learner will independently insert the correct foot within the shoe.
When given a pair of oversized shoes, the learner will independently insert the correct feet in each shoe.
When given a pair of fitted shoes, the learner will independently insert the correct feet in each shoe.
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 for putting on shoes. 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 Puts oversized shoes together (visual)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Gather an oversized pair of shoes—one large left shoe and one large right show (preferably two times the size of the learners shoe).
Apply a small mark with a pencil or dry erase marker to the waist of both shoes (inner, curved parts that mirror each other when the shoes are put together).
Present the shoes to the learner so that they are perpendicular or upside down in relations to one another.
Prompt the learner to rotate the shoes to find the marks on the waist.
Learner should then put both shoes together so that the waists (and the marks that were made) mirror each other.
Therapist should point out the marks again.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Materials
shoes
Research/Resources
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#2 Matches oversized shoes, matches feet
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Gather an oversized pair of shoes—one large left shoe and one large right show (preferably two times the size of the learners shoe).
Apply a small mark with a pencil or dry erase marker to the waist of both shoes (inner, curved parts that mirror each other when the shoes are put together).
Present the shoes to the learner so that they are perpendicular or upside down in relations to one another on the floor.
Prompt the learner to rotate the shoes to find the marks on the waist.
Learner should then put both shoes together so that the waists (and the marks that were made) mirror each other.
Learner should place both feet directly behind the shoes.
Therapist should prompt the learner through putting on the shoes the rest of the way.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Materials
oversized shoes
Research/Resources
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#3 Grabs tongue of oversized shoe
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Gather an oversized pair of shoes—one large left shoe and one large right show (preferably two times the size of the learners shoe).
Apply a small mark with a pencil or dry erase marker to the waist of both shoes (inner, curved parts that mirror each other when the shoes are put together).
Present the shoes to the learner so that they are perpendicular or upside down in relations to one another on the floor.
Prompt the learner to rotate the shoes to find the marks on the waist.
Learner should then put both shoes together so that the waists (and the marks that were made) mirror each other.
Learner should place both feet directly behind the shoes.
Learner should then grab the tongue for one of the shoes and begin to lift (slightly)
Therapist should prompt the learner through putting the correct foot in the corresponding shoe.
Follow this process for the other shoe as well.
Reinforce the learner accordingly.
Additional Notes
Materials
oversized shoes
Research/Resources
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#4 Grabs tongue, grabs heel of oversized shoe
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Gather an oversized pair of shoes—one large left shoe and one large right show (preferably two times the size of the learners shoe).
Apply a small mark with a pencil or dry erase marker to the waist of both shoes (inner, curved parts that mirror each other when the shoes are put together).
Present the shoes to the learner so that they are perpendicular or upside down in relations to one another on the floor.
Prompt the learner to rotate the shoes to find the marks on the waist.
Learner should then put both shoes together so that the waists (and the marks that were made) mirror each other.
Learner should place both feet directly behind the shoes.
Learner should then grab the tongue for one of the shoes and begin to lift (slightly).
With their other hand, Learner should then pull on the heel of the same shoe.
Learner should then put their foot in the shoe.
Follow this process for the other shoe as well.
Reinforce the learner accordingly once both shoes are on.
Additional Notes
Materials
oversized shoes
Research/Resources
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#5 Puts on fitted shoe (visual)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Gather the learner’s shoes—one left shoe and one right show (should be in the proper size).
Apply a small mark with a pencil or dry erase marker to the waist of both shoes (inner, curved parts that mirror each other when the shoes are put together).
Present the shoes to the learner so that they are perpendicular or upside down in relations to one another on the floor.
Prompt the learner to rotate the shoes to find the marks on the waist.
Learner should then put both shoes together so that the waists (and the marks that were made) mirror each other.
Learner should place both feet directly behind the shoes.
Learner should then grab the tongue for one of the shoes and begin to lift (slightly)
With their other hand, Learner should then pull on the heel of the same shoe.
Learner should then put their foot in the shoe.
Learner should follow this process for the other shoe as well.
Reinforce the learner accordingly once both shoes are on.
Additional Notes
Materials
shoes
Research/Resources
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#6 Puts on fitted shoe on correct feet (no visual)
How to Run
Gain the attention and motivation of the learner.
Gather the learner’s shoes—one left shoe and one right show (should be in the proper size).
Present the shoes to the learner so that they are perpendicular or upside down in relations to one another on the floor.
Learner should then put both shoes together so that the waists (no marks) mirror each other.
Learner should place both feet directly behind the shoes.
Learner should then grab the tongue for one of the shoes and begin to lift (slightly)
With their other hand, Learner should then pull on the heel of the same shoe.
Learner should then put their foot in the shoe.
Learner should follow this process for the other shoe as well.
Reinforce the learner accordingly once both shoes are on.
Additional Notes
Materials
shoes
Research/Resources
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.
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.
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Intro to Scanning 
Intro to Matching (Visual Perception) 
Performs Preferred Action with Preferred Item (LR)
Performs Action During Familiar Routines (LR)
Intro to Dressing
Performs Action with Multi-Functional Toys
Putting On Socks
Performs Actions with Uni-Functional Toys (LR)
Putting On T-Shirts 
Putting On Pants
Dressing Self (Simple TA)
Intro to Zippers, Buttons, & Snaps