Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners receptively identify lowercase letters in a large, 2D array.
This skill area tunes in on receptively identifying lowercase letters in a large array. It's vital to check that the learner is fluent in basic scanning, basic matching, following gestural prompts, and basic receptive identification skills with common items and—likely—the receptive identification of uppercase letters. Fluency in this skill area lays the foundation for basic letter identification and opens the door for sight word identification and eventual reading and writing.
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)
Reading, R 12-M, Selects (LD’s) the correct uppercase letter from an array of 5 letters, for 10 different letters. AFLS (Assessment of Functional Living Skills)
Basic Communication, BS21, Writes or types own name. Basic Communication, BS22, Spells dictated words by writing or typing (e.g. learner will write or type dictated words). Computer Skills, CP19, Types sentences using appropriate finger position. DSM-V Diagnostic Criteria for Autism
A2, Deficits in nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, ranging, for example, from poorly integrated verbal and nonverbal communication; to abnormalities in eye contact and body language or deficits in understanding and use of gestures; to a total lack of facial expressions and nonverbal communication. CDC’s Developmental Milestones
30 Months, Language/Communication, Names things in a book when you point and ask, “What is this?” 5 Years, Cognitive, Names some letters when you point to them. 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 receptively identify 5 lowercase letters or symbols when presented in an array of 15. Learner will receptively identify 10 lowercase letters or symbols when presented in an array of 15. Learner will receptively identify 15 lowercase letters or symbols when presented in an array of 15. Learner will receptively identify all 26 lowercase letters or symbols when presented 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.
Intro to Scanning Intro to Matching (Visual Perception) Following Gestures Matches Lowercase Letters in 2D Array (Identical) Receptively IDs Common Items in 2D Array Receptively IDs Uppercase Letters in 2D Array Skill Possibilities Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to receptively ID lowercase letters. 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.
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “a”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “a”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “a”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “b”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “b”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “b”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “c”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “c”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “c”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “d”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “d”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “d”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “e”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “e”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “e”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “f”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “f”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “f”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “g”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “g”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “g”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “h”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “h”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “h”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “i”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “i”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “i”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “j”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “j”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “j”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “k”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “k”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “k”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “l”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “l”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “l”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “m”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “m”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “m”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “n”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “n”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “n”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “o”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “o”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “o”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “p”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “p”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “p”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “q”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “q”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “q”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “r”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “r”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “r”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “s”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “s”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “s”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “t”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “t”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “t”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “u”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “u”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “u”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “v”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “v”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “v”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “w”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “w”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “w”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “x”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “x”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “x”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “y”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “y”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “y”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
Research/Resources
How to Run Present an array of 15 pictures of lowercase letters with one of them being the lowercase letter “x”. Gain the attention and motivation of the learner. Ask them to find the/point to the/give you “z”. Learner should select the corresponding letter. Reinforce accordingly. Additional Notes Ensure that therapist is not engaging in prompting that they might not be aware of. Work on multiple targets in this category to sure that the learner isn’t rote responding two one stimulus. Work on multiple lowercase letters (maybe even all of them) if the learner is showing signs of rapid mastery.
Materials 15 lowercase letters with one being a picture of the letter “z”. Receptive ID Lowercase.pdf 19.3KB
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.
Matches Uppercase Letters in 2D Array (Identical) Matches Lowercase Letters in 2D Array (Identical) Receptively IDs Uppercase Letters in 2D Array Composite 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.
Receptively IDs Lowercase Letters in 2D Array (Across 3 Fonts) (Coming Soon!)
Labels Lowercase Letters in 2D
Follow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
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) 
Following Gestures
Matches Lowercase Letters in 2D Array (Identical)
Receptively IDs Common Items in 2D Array
Receptively IDs Uppercase Letters in 2D Array
Matches Uppercase Letters in 2D Array (Identical)
Labels Lowercase Letters in 2D