Below is a general skill sequence for helping learners increase their range in reinforcers.
This skill sequence is one of the first stages of teaching learners to expand their preferences. The aim is not for learners to gain fluency in the actions listed below. Instead, the focus is for the learner to simply show that they could perform the actions with the toys if they were motivated to do so. Note that mastery criteria should be shallow (ex: Learner only needs to exhibit the behavior one time with prompts) as you don't want to create an aversion to the toy due to excessive programming and trials. Fundamentally, this skills sequence is aimed at introducing the learner to the reinforcing capabilities of certain toys. If the learner is motivated for the toys, they will continue to engage with it and go back to it in the future.
Treatment Plan Goal Ideas
Below you’ll find a sequence of goal ideas listed—in theory—from least difficult/intrusive to most difficult/intrusive. These are programs that you’ll work on each day. Each of these programs in the skill sequence will likely make up a larger, more encompassing treatment plan goal. Treatment plan goal ideas for this particular skill area are as follows:
- Learner will engage in 5 different actions of any kind across 5 different simple toys.
- Learner will engage in 10 different actions of any kind across 5 different simple toys.
- Learner will engage in 15 different actions of any kind across 25 different simple toys.
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.
Arguably, component skills for this area are limited as this skill sequence will be one of the first (if not the first) skill area that BCBAs and teachers will target with their learners. This skill sequence highlights some of the first to pairing with a learner while diversifying their reinforcers.
Intro to Reinforcer/Preference ExpansionSkill Possibilities
Below is a possible skill sequence for working on increasing your learner’s ability to engage in single actions with common toys . 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.
Intro to Manding
Imitates Actions with Preferred Items
Performs Preferred Action with Preferred Item (LR)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.
Imitation with Uni-Functional ToysFollow the link below to better understand component-composite analysis.
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