VBMAPPLanguageMilestonesandBarriersAssessment

Name:Jacob__________
DateofBirth:1/8/2009
Age:3yearsold
AssessmentDate:1/12/2012,1/17/2012
ReportDate:January20,2012
Assessor:MarkL.Sundberg,Ph.D.,BCBAD
Generalinformation
Jacobisagenerallyhappyandactive3yearoldboywithadiagnosisofautismwholives
athomewithhisparentsDennisandCarol,andhis5yearoldsister,Emma.Jacobhada
speakingvocabularyofapproximately10wordsupuntilaroundtheageof2whenhestopped
talking.Hewasdiagnosedwithautismat30monthsoldbythestafffromCaliforniasRegional
CenterSystem.Hewasprovidedwithaninhometreatmentprogramalongwithatwiceweekly
preschoolprogramdesignedforchildrenwithspecialneeds.Jacobwasidentifiedasanonverbal
childwhooftenexhibitednegativebehaviorssuchastantruming,screaming,throwinghimselfto
thefloor,andhittingothers.Healsoengagedinavarietyofstereotypicbehaviorssuchfinger
flickinginfrontofhiseyes,spinningincircles,andpushingthingsbackandforthonthefloorin
arepeatedpattern.
ThecurrentreportpresentstheresultsofanassessmentofJacobslanguage,learning,
andsocialskills,aswellasbehavioralbarriersthatareinterferingwithhisabilitytolearnmore
advancedskills.TheassessmenttoolusedwastheVerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessmentand
PlacementProgram(VBMAPP)(Sundberg,2008).Thisassessmentprogramisbasedupon
AppliedBehaviorAnalysiswithafocusonSkinner's(1957)analysisofverbalbehavior.The
VBMAPPcanhelpidentifyastudent'sstrengthsandweaknessesacrossavarietyofcritical
skills.Theassessmentalsomakesiteasytocompareandcontrastthechildsskillswiththoseof
typicallydevelopingchildren.Jacobsperformanceineachofthedomainstestedwillbe
presented,followedbyananalysisofbarriersthatareaffectingJacobsabilitytolearn.The
reportwill(1)presenttheresultsoftheVBMAPPMilestonesAssessment,(2)presentthe
resultsoftheVBMAPPBarriersAssessment,(3)suggestinterventionprioritiesandaprogram
designedtoteachJacobmoreeffectivelanguage,learning,andsocialskills,(4)suggestdirection
foraninterventionprogramdesignedtoameliorateorremovehisbarrierstolearning,and(5)
suggestspecificIEPgoals.
TheVBMAPPbreakslanguageandrelatedskillsdowninto16differentskillareas(or
domains).Inadditiontolookingatthephonemes,words,phrases,andsentencesthatJacobuses,
theassessmentalsoidentifiestheconditionsunderwhichheemitsthosewords.Forexample,
JacobcouldalmostperfectlyechothewordcowafterIsaidcow,butwhenaskedtoname
thecowwhenshownthecowandasked,Whatisthis?hecouldnotsaycow.Whenhe
wantedthecowtoplaceitonafeltboardhewasunabletoaskforthecow,andemittednegative
behaviorinstead.Thevalueofusinganassessmenttoolbasedonafunctionalanalysisof

language(Skinner,1957)isthatweoftenfindthatachildhaswordsinhisvocabularyinone
domain,butnotanother(e.g.,canechobutcannotask).Byassessingtheoccurrenceoflanguage
underthesevariouscircumstances(functions)amoreeffectiveandindividualizedintervention
programthatdirectlytargetsachildsprimarylanguageneedscanbedeveloped.Thefollowing
languageskillsandinstructionalissueswererelevantforJacobandwillbeaddressedinthis
report(moreadvanceddomainssuchasintraverbal,reading,writing,andmathwerenotassessed
givenJacobsperformancesonthebeginningleveloftheVBMAPP).

Manding(askingtoreceivereinforcers,ortoremoveundesirableitemsorevents)
Tacting(namingthingsandactionsinthephysicalenvironment)
Listenerskills(receptivelanguage)
Visualperceptualskillsandmatchingtosample
Motorimitation(copyingtheactionsofothers)
Echoic(repeatingthephonemes,words,andphrasesofothers)
Playskills
Socialskills
Vocaloutput
Grouplearningskills
Learningbarriers(e.g.,behaviorproblems,compliance,promptdependency)

ResultsfromtheVBMAPPMilestonesAssessment
JacobsoverallscoreontheVBMAPPMilestonesAssessmentfellintheLevel1range
asindicatedbyascoreof31outofapossiblescoreof170(seehisattachedVBMAPPMaster
ScoringForm).Thisplaceshislanguageabilitiesaroundthedevelopmentalageofapproximately
1216months.Hisscoreswereoutofdevelopmentalbalanceshowingsomeskillsmuchstronger
thanothers.Hisgeneralstrengthswereintheareasofvisualperceptualandmatchingtosample
skills,motorimitation,echoic,andplayskills;hisweaknesseswereintheareasofmand,tact,
andlistenerskills(whichconstitutetheprimarydomainsofearlylanguagedevelopment).A
specificanalysisofhisperformanceineachdomainwillbepresented,followedbysuggestions
foraninterventionplanandIEPgoals.
Manding(askingorprotesting)
DespitethefactthatJacobcouldechoseveralphonemesandsomewholewords,hewas
unabletousethesewordstoaskforhisdesiredreinforcers.Theonlywayhecouldaskfor
desireditemswasifhewasgivenanechoicprompt.WithoutthistypeofpromptJacobwas
unabletoindependentlyaskforanyreinforcers(hismandingwaspromptbound).Thus,he
receivedascoreof1ontheLevel1mandassessment(seetheattachedVBMAPPMaster
Form.).Hedidhavewaystoindicatethathewantedspecificitemssuchasreachingforthem,
holdingupanitemthatrequiredadultassistance(e.g.,acupwhenhewantedjuice,aremote
controlforatoycar),orstandingbyaspecificlocationoritem(e.g.,therefrigerator,TV,door).
Hewouldfrequentlyandquicklyengageinnegativebehaviorssuchasscreaming,crying,and

hittingasawaytocommunicatehiswantsandneedsforspecificitemsoractions(seethe
barrierssectionformoredetailonthesebehaviorsandtheirrelationtomanding).Jacobisclearly
demonstratesmotivationwhenthereissomethinghewants,makingmandtrainingasexcellent
placetobeginhisprogram.Establishingskillsinthisdomainshouldbeconsideredan
immediatepriorityforhisinterventionprogram.
Tacting(naming,expressivelabeling)
Jacobwasunabletoidentifyanyitemsusingwords,signs,orpictures.Thus,hereceived
ascoreof0ontheLevel1tactassessment.Thisdomainwillalsobeanearlyfocusofthe
interventionprogram,butnotasimmediateasamandingprogram(seebelow).
Listenerskills(understandingwords,receptivelabeling)
Jacobwasabletorespondtohearinghisownname,butwasunabletolookatortouch
anyspecificitems,orperformanyspecificactionswhenaskedtodoso.Thus,hereceiveda
scoreof2ontheLevel1listenerassessment.Thisdomainwillalsobeanearlyfocusofthe
interventionprogram,butnotasimmediateasamandingprogram(seebelow).
Visualperceptualskillsandmatchingtosample(VPMTS)
Jacobwasabletomatchcoloredblocksandsomesimplepatterns,andhecouldmatch
severalpicturestoidenticalpicturesinanarrayofthree.Hereceivedascoreof6ontheLevel1
andLevel2VPMTSassessment.ThisarearepresentsstrengthforJacobinthathewas
successfulwithsomeoftheskillsinLevel2oftheVBMAPP.However,asthearraybecame
largerandthestimuliinthearraybecamesimilar,hismatchingtosampleperformance
weakened(andavoidancebehavioroccurred).Thisareashouldbetargetedinhisearly
interventionprogram,butisnotanimmediatepriority.
Independentplayskills
Jacobdemonstratedanumberofrelativelyadvancedplayskills.Infact,hishighest
scoresontheVBMAPPwereintheareaofplay,wherehereceivedascoreof8.5wellinto
Level2oftheassessment.ThisdemonstratesanumberofimportantbenefitstoJacob.Most
notablyisthewiderangeofreinforcersavailabletohimthatcanbeusedtodeveloplanguage
andotherskillssuchassocialinteractions.Thisareatooshouldbetargetedinhisearly
interventionprogram,butisnotanimmediatepriority.
Socialskillsandsocialplay
Jacobshowedverylittleinterestinotherchildren,buthedidshowsomeinterestin
adults.Hedidnotengageinparallelplay,orimitateanyoftheactionsorwordsofpeers.While
hisplayskillsarestronghetendstoplaybyhimselfandtypicallyseeksareastoplaythatare
voidofotherchildren.Thus,hereceivedascoreof2.5onthisdomaininLevel1socialskills

andsocialplayassessment.Thisareashouldbetargetedinhisearlyinterventionprogram,butis
notanimmediatepriority.
Motorimitation
Jacobcouldeasilyimitateseveraldifferentmotorbehaviorsdemonstratedbyadults.He
couldconsistentlydemonstrateover20differentimitativemotormovements,aswellasavariety
ofspecificmovementswithtoysandobjects.ThisareawasalsoastrengthforJacobandhe
receivedascoreof4.5onthisdomaininLevel1oftheassessment.However,Jacobdidnot
demonstrateanyspontaneousimitationofothers.Thisareashouldbetargetedinhisearly
interventionprogram,withstepstogeneralizethisstrengthtoimitatingothersinnaturaland
functionalways,butworkinthisdomainisnotanimmediatepriority.
Echoic(vocalimitation)
Jacobwasalsoabletovocallyechoseveraldifferentsounds,blends,andapproximations
towholewordsproducedbyadults.ThisabilityisamajormilestoneforJacobbecauseechoic
behaviorcanbeusedfordevelopingmanyotherimportantlanguageskills(e.g.,mandingand
tacting).Jacobandhereceivedascoreof4.5onthisdomaininLevel1oftheassessment.This
areashouldbetargetedinhisearlyinterventionprogram,butisnotanimmediatepriority.
Spontaneousvocalbehavior
Jacobdidnotemitmuchvocalbehaviorduringplayactivities,freetime,orothernon
structuredactivities.Hewasgenerallynonvocal.However,heoccasionallywouldemit
vocalizationswhenhewashappyorenjoyinganactivity.Hereceivedascoreof2onthis
domainintheLevel1oftheassessment.Thisareashouldbetargetedinhisearlyintervention
program,butisnotanimmediatepriority.
Interventionprioritiesandrecommendations
ThemostimmediateinterventionpriorityforJacobistoestablishapromptfreemand
repertoire.Giventhestrengthofhisechoicrepertoireandwiderangeofreinforcersthemand
trainingproceduresdescribedinSundberg&Partington(1998)shouldworkquickly.Thebasic
aspectoftheprocedureinvolvespromptingacorrectresponse,thenfadingouttheprompt,and
onlyreinforcingunpromptedresponses(thisprocedureiscalledthequicktransferprocedureby
Sundberg&Partington1998).Onceapromptfreemandisestablished(whichshouldoccurin
lessthanaweekiftheprocedureisimplemented),tactsandlistenerskillsshouldbeaddedtothe
dailyinterventionprogram.Themainfocusthenshouldbeonestablishingabasicvocabularyof
nouns,withperhapsafewhighlymotivatingverbs(e.g.,swing)asmands,tacts,andlistener
discriminations.Ultimately,otherskillssuchassocialskills,moreadvancedmatching,etc.can
beaddedtothedailyprogram(seetherecommendedIEPgoalsattheendofthisreport).

Formoredetailondirectionfortheinterventionprogramandprogressionthroughthe
curriculumframedintheVBMAPP,seetheplacementsuggestionsinChapter8oftheVB
MAPPGuide.Also,signlanguageorpicturesystemshavenotbeentriedwithJacobandshould
notberuledoutatthispoint.Theseformsofaugmentativecommunicationmaybeofsomevalue
tohimifhisspeechishardtounderstandandprogressonvocabularyacquisitionisslow.
However,theimmediateconcentrationshouldbeonestablishingvocalmandsandtacts.Finally,
thebarriersidentifiedbelowarerelatedtohisskillacquisition,andwillalsoneedtobeaddressed
intheimmediateandlongterminterventionprogram.
TheVBMAPPBarriersAssessment
Jacobdemonstratedseveralbarriersthatareimpedinghislanguageandskillacquisition.
Hedemonstratedelevationson9ofthe24barriers,withanoverallscoreontheBarriers
Assessmentof26(outof96possiblepoints).Alowerscoreonthisassessmentindicatesfewer
barriers,althoughhisscoreof26iscauseforconcern,especiallygiventhe9specificbarriersthat
areaffectingJacob.TheresultsoftheBarriersAssessmentforeachofthese9barrierswillbe
presentedinorderoftheirimpactonJacobslearning,alongwithadiscussionofhowthese
barriersaffectJacobandrecommendationsforintervention.(SeeChapter6oftheVBMAPP
GuideformoredetailonconductingandinterpretingtheBarriersAssessment).
Impairedmanding
PerhapsthemostsignificantbarrierforJacobishisimpairedmandrepertoire.He
receivedascoreof4onthisVBMAPPBarriersmeasureindicatingthatestablishingafunctional
mandrepertoireisanimmediatepriorityforhislanguageandbehaviorinterventionprogram.
Withouttheabilitytoverballyaskfordesireditemsandactivitiesmanyelementsofhisdailylife
areaffected.Manyofhisnegativebehaviorsareclearlyrelatedtohisimpairedmandrepertoire.
Whenhecannotgetwhathewantswithwords,thenother,oftenundesirable,behaviorssuchas
tantrumsandaggression,servethemandfunction.Forexample,IhadabasketofVelcrofarm
animalsthatJacobwantedtoplaceonafeltboard.Hecouldechoapproximationstothenames
ofafewanimals(e.g.,pig,cow,horse),however,hewasunabletoaskforanyoftheanimals
withoutmyfirstsayingthenameoftheanimal(anechoicprompt).Whenasked,Whatdoyou
want?withoutanechoicprompthewouldattempttograbtheitemoutofthebasketand
engagedinaggressivebehavior(attemptingtohitorscratch)ifIdidnotgiveittohim.
Analysisandintervention:Isuspectthatacombinationofvariablesareresponsiblefor
thislanguagebarrier:(1)themandsthatdooccurareechoicallyprompted,withtheechoic
playingtheprimaryrole,thushismandrepertoireisechoicallypromptbound;(2)negative
behaviorshavebeenreinforcedasaformofmanding;(3)noformalmandtraininghasbeen
providedforJacob.Therecommendedinterventionforremovingthisbarrieristhe
implementationofabasicmandtrainingprogram(Sundberg&Partington,1998).Giventhat
Jacobishighlymotivatedbyavarietyofitemsandactivities,andcanechoanumberof
approximationstowordsthissuggeststhatthebasicmandtrainingprocedureinvolvingechoic

promptsandthecarefulfadingofthosepromptsshouldproducethedesiredmandrepertoire.In
addition,stepsshouldbetakenimmediatelytoprovidetrainingtoallstaffandthefamilyto
ensurethathisnegativebehaviorsdonotresultintheproductionofthedesireditembyanadult,
sibling,orpeer(i.e.,extinction).IfIhadgivenhimtheanimalsonhistermsIwouldhave
reinforcedhisnegativebehaviorand/orstrengthenedhisechoicpromptdependency.Asstated
above,ifprogresswithspeechisslow,signlanguageorPECSmaybeofvaluetohimfor
learningapromptfreemand(whichalsoshouldfacilitatefuturevocaldevelopmentandreduce
behaviorproblems).
Behaviorproblems
Jacobnotonlyemittednegativebehaviorsasawaytomandfordesirableitemsand
activities,buttheyoccurredunderanumberofothercircumstancesaswell.Hereceivedascore
of3onthismeasureindicatingthatitwillbenecessarytodevelopabehaviorinterventionplan
(BIP)byaqualifiedprofessional,suchasaBoardCertifiedBehaviorAnalyst(BCBA).Jacobs
negativebehaviorsusuallyconsistedofanescalatingcollectionofbehaviorsifhedidnotgethis
way.Typically,thechainofbehaviorswouldbeginwithsomeformofwhiningorvocalprotest,
thenfollowedbycrying,fallingtothefloor,attemptingtohitorscratch,throwthings,andon
someoccasions,headbangingandhittinghimself(selfinjuriousbehaviorSIB).Thebehaviors
didnotalwaysoccurinthisorderandoccurredatavarietyoflevelsofintensityandduration,
butmostofthemoccurredmanytimesonadailybasis(exceptSIB)insomeformoranother.
Analysisandintervention:Anobservational(descriptive)analysisrevealedthatthe
negativebehaviorsoccurredunderavarietyoffunctionallydifferentconditions.Therewere
threedifferentantecedenteventsthatevokednegativebehaviors:(1)theremovalordenialofa
reinforcer(e.g.,nomorechips),(2)thedesiretoobtainaspecificreinforcer(e.g.,togetoutside,
obtaintheVelcofarmanimals),(3)anadultdemandtoengageinaspecificactivity(e.g.,putting
onshoes,gettinginthecarseat).ABIPshouldbedevelopedandimplementedbyaBCBA.The
basicelementsoftheprogramwouldconsistofformalmandtrainingtoteachJacobhowto
obtainreinforcers,andhowtoremoveundesirableobjectsandeventswithwordsratherthan
negativebehaviors.Inaddition,aspecificprogramshouldbedevelopedandimplementedto
teachhimhowtotoleratethedenialofreinforcersandtoengageinlesspreferredactivities.The
specificaspectsoftheprogramforJacobwillrequireamoredetailedanalysis,aswellasstaff
andparenttrainingwithongoingsupport,analysis,training,andmonitoringfromaBCBAor
otherqualifiedprofessional.
Instructionalcontrolproblems
Ingeneral,Jacobusuallydidnotimmediatelyrespondtomanyadultrequestsor
demands.Hereceivedascoreof3onthismeasureindicatingthatitwillbenecessarytodevelop
aninterventionprogramimmediately,sinceinstructionalcontrolisessentialforskill
developmentandisacauseforsafetyconcerns.Heusuallydidwhathewantedtodo(e.g.,
playingwithtoys,watchingvideos,pushingthingsbackandforthonthefloor,dumpingitems
outofcontainers).Adultdemandsusuallycompetedwiththesereinforcingactivitiesand,as

describedabove,hewouldtypicallyengageinsometypeofnegativebehavioriftheactivities
wereinterrupted.Whenhewasnotengagedinsomeactivityandanadulthadastrongreinforcer
(e.g.,anoveltoy)hewouldoftenbemorewillingtorespondandwouldechosomesounds,
imitatesomemotoractions,emitsomespecificactionsoncommand(clapping),butwould
usuallyterminatetheinteractionafterafewtrials(becausethecontinuedadultdemand
weakenedthevalueofthereinforcerseebelow)eitherbystarringawayandsimplyignoringthe
adultorgettingupandleavingthesetting.Attemptstostophimfromleavingusuallyevokedthe
chainofnegativebehaviors.
Analysisandintervention:ThereareanumberofpotentialcausesforJacobs
noncompliantbehaviors,allofwhicharelearned,andusuallycanbechangedwithan
appropriateinterventionprogram.Thereareatleast5variablesthatarecausingtheproblems:(1)
manyofthedailyrequestsforcompliancefromadultsinvolveJacobgivingupareinforcer;(2)
noncompliantbehaviorisreinforcedwhenanadultremovesthedemandtocomply;(3)adults
havebeenshapedtoremovethedemandduetoJacobsnegativewhichreinforcesthenegative
behavior;(4)instancesofsuccessfulcompliancearenotreinforcedenough;(5)toohighofa
compliancedemandweakensthevalueofavailablereinforcers.
Asystematicandfocusedinstructionalcontrolprogramshouldbeanimmediatefocusof
Jacobsdailyprogram(formoredetailregardingacomplianceprogramseeSchramm,2011;
Sundberg&Partington,1998).Theinterventionprogramshouldaddressthe5variablesinthe
followingway:(1)beginwitheasyresponsesthatdonotinvolvegivingupareinforcer(target
thoselaterintheprogram);(2)donotremovethedemandwhenhefailstocomply(thiswillbe
thehardpartbecausenegativebehaviorsmayinitiallyoccur.Butifdemandisremovedasa
resultofhisnegativebehaviorstheywilloccuragaininthefuture;(3)alladultsinvolvedwith
Jacobmustlearnnottoreinforcenoncompliancebydemandremoval;(4)establishasystematic
reinforcementprogramforcompliancewiththecarefuluseofintermittentreinforcement(again,
aBCBAwillplayanimportantroleinhelpingtoestablishandmonitoranappropriate
reinforcementschedule;and(5)establishahierarchyofcomplianceactivitiesintermsofthe
degreeofresponserequirementstartingwitheasyresponses,frequentreinforcement,and
graduallymovingtomoreeffortandintermittentreinforcement(e.g.,3or4complianceresponse
perreinforcer).
Promptdependency
Jacobhasbecomedependentonavarietyofadultpromptstocommunicatewithothers,
aswellasindependentlycompleteanumberofactivitiesregardingdailyliving.Hereceiveda
scoreof3onthismeasureindicatingthataninterventionprogramforremovingprompt
dependencyshouldbeestablishedandimplemented.Theexampleoftheechoicprompt
dependencywaspresentedabove.Heisalsodependentonphysicalpromptstocompletemany
selfcareactivitiessuchaseatingwithaspoon,puttingonhisshoes,andputtingonacoat.

Analysisandintervention:Thebasicfadingproceduresalongwithtransferofstimulus
controlproceduresshouldbeeffectivefordecreasingpromptdependency(e.g.,Lovaas,2003,
Sundberg&Partington,1998).
Impairedtactandlistenerskills
Theseskilldeficitsaremostlikelyrelatedtothefourbarriersidentifiedabove.Jacob
receivedascoreof2onimpairedtactingandascoreof3onimpairedlistenerskills.Histacts,
likehismands,areechoicallypromptboundandeffortstoconducttacttrainingwithJacob
usuallyevokenegativebehavior.Hisinabilitytomandlimitshiscontroloftheenvironmentwith
wordsandfurtherexacerbateshisbehaviorproblemsinformalteachingsessions.Muchofearly
listenertrainingisverysimilartovariouselementsofcompliancetraininginthatanadult
verballyasksJacobtoemitspecificbehaviors(e.g.,showmeclapping,standup),andheoften
resists(buthecanemittheskillunderothercircumstances).Hence,adultsareusuallyfacedwith
noncomplianceissuesquicklyinatactorlistenerdiscriminationtrainingsession.
Analysisandintervention:Theimmediatefocusshouldbeonremovingorameliorating
thefirstfourbarriersidentifiedabove,thengraduallyreturnbacktotactandlistenertraining
usingtheproceduresdescribedinSundberg&Partington,1998.Thisshouldoccurwithinthe
firstmonthoftheinterventionprogram,orsooner.
Demandweakensmotivators
Thereareusuallycombinationsofvariablesatworkwhenthisprobleminterfereswith
learning.Jacobreceivedascoreof3onthismeasureindicatingthatitwillbenecessaryto
developaninterventionprogram,sinceeffectivereinforcementistheprimaryteachingtoolfor
allskilldevelopment.TheissueforJacobisnotthatitemsdontfunctionasreinforcement,but
howmuchisJacobwillingtoworkinordertoobtainthesereinforcers.Manyofhisfavorite
itemsandactivitiesareavailablefree(noresponserequirement)andonhisowntermsinhis
dailyroutines(e.g.,toys,thingstopush).Hislanguageskillsareweaksoitisveryhardfromhim
toemitthecorrectwordattherighttime,thustheeffortforappropriatecommunicationishigh.
Thishighresponserequirementalongwithfreeaccessandnoresponserequirementcoupledwith
hiscomplianceandbehaviorissuessetsupthesituationwheredemandsimmediatelyweakenthe
valueofreinforcers.
Analysisandintervention:Theproceduressuggestedaboveforestablishingcompliance
willhavetheeffectofprovidingabetterbalancebetweenresponseeffortandreinforcement
value.Also,itwillbevaluabletolimitJacobsfreeaccesstoreinforcers.Initially,easyresponses
shouldproducebigreinforcers,whilesystematicallyprogrammingtograduallyrequiremore
behaviorforlessreinforcement.Thisisacomplicatedmanipulationandsuccesswilldependon
theskillleveloftheadultsinvolved.Thus,supportofaBCBAorotherqualifiedprofessional
willbevaluableinsuccessfullyimplementingthistypeofprocedure.
Impairedsocialskills

Jacobshowsonlyaminorinterestinotherchildren.Hedoesnothavethelanguageskills
toverballyinteractwiththemandheoftenaggressesagainstthemwhentheyinterferewithhis
playactivities.Hedoesnotengageinparallelplay,orfolloworimitatepeers,andhegenerally
avoidsanyproximityorphysicalcontactwithotherchildren.Hereceivedascoreof3onthis
measure.
Analysisandintervention:PeersdonotappeartobeconditionedreinforcersforJacob.
Hedemonstratesnointerestinwhattheyaredoing,theyseemtogetinhisway,competefor
adultattention,toys,andotherreinforcers.Whilesocialbehaviorisimportant,theimmediate
priorityisforadultstogaincontroloverJacobsbehaviorsbyteachinghimtomandeffectively,
establishcompliance,andreducehisnegativebehaviors.Followingamarkedimprovementin
theseareas(whichshouldoccurwithinthefirstmonthofintervention)staffshouldthenbeginto
implement(add)programsthatfocusmoreonsocialdevelopmentandestablishingpeersas
conditionedreinforcersandnotconditionedpunishers(e.g.,providingnoncontingentreinforcers
toJacobinthewayofgivingsnackstohimorturningonmusichelikes).
Selfstimulation
Jacobengagesinahighrateofselfstimulatorybehaviorsasdescribedabove.These
behaviorsoftencompetewithinstructionalcontrolandtherelativevalueofotheravailable
reinforcers.Hereceivedascoreof3onthismeasure.
Analysisandintervention:Selfstimuluationoftenservesmanyfunctionsandis
typicallydifficulttoeliminate.Amainreasonselfstimulationisoftenhardtoreduceisthat
adultsdonotcontrolthepresentationorremovaloftherelevantreinforcers.Thereinforcement
forselfstimulationisintheproductofthebehavioritself.Thatis,fingerflicking,twirling,
spinning,etc.,feelgoodtoJacob.Technically,thisiscalledautomaticallyreinforced
behavior.Thisbehaviorisfreeinthatnoworkisrequiredtoobtainit,itisimmediate,and
satiationisoftenslowinaffectingthevalueoftheautomaticreinforcement.Inaddition,it
provideswaystoescapeoravoidundesirableactivities.Thus,therearemultiplereinforcers
availableforselfstimulation.Perhapsthebestinterventionprogramforselfstimulationisthe
reinforcementofincompatiblebehaviors.Thatis,teachJacobnewandfunctionalplay,social,
leisure,language,andotherskillsthatallowhimaccesstodifferentreinforcers.Inlayterms,
keephimbusyandhavingfunwithotheractivitiesthatalsocanproduceautomatic
reinforcement,aswellascontrivedaswellasnaturalreinforcers.Inaddition,employa
curriculumsequencethatisappropriate,whereheissuccessful,sotasksarelessaversive.And
finally,donotaddadditionalreinforcementintheformofattention,physicalcontact(holdinghis
handsonatableafterfingerstims).Ingeneraltheprogramshouldbe:ignoreselfstimulation
behavioranddifferentiallyreinforceanybehaviorthatisincompatiblewithselfstimulationona
consistentbasis(e.g.,coloringisincompatiblewithfingerflicks).
Overallsummary

Jacobdemonstratesanumberoflanguage,learning,andbehavioraldeficitsthatneedto
beaddressedinadailyinterventionprogram.Itisrecommendedthatanintensiveintervention
programbeestablishedthatmakesuseoftheevidencebasedprinciplesandproceduresof
AppliedBehaviorAnalysis.TheVBMAPPassessmentprogramrevealedseveralimmediate
prioritiesaswellassecondarypriorities,andagenerallongtermplan.Themostimmediate
priorityinvolvesestablishingafunctionalmandrepertoire.Inaddition,thereisanimmediate
needtoestablishinstructionalcomplianceandreducehisnegativebehaviors.Itissuggestedthat
aqualifiedprofessional(e.g.,aBCBA)design,implement,monitor,andmodifyasnecessary,an
interventionprogramforJacobthatincludesabehaviorinterventionplan(BIP)withafocuson
mandtraining.Oncemandsareestablishedfreefromechoicpromptsandcomplianceand
negativebehaviorimprove,thereshouldbeanincreasedfocusonestablishingtacting,listener
skills,andsocialskills.Followingthedevelopmentoftheseskills,andareductionofthe
barriersidentifiedabove,alongtermprogramshouldfocusonalltheneededskillsidentifiedin
hisVBMAPPandsuggestedbythespecificlongtermIEPgoalsbelow.
SuggestedIEPobjectives

Jacobwillbeabletomandfor20differentpreferreditemsoractionswithoutbeinggiven
echoicprompts.

Jacobwillmandwithoutechoicpromptsatleast100timesperday.

Jacobwillimitate50differentfineandgrossmotoractions.

Jacobwilltactatleast50newobjectsorpictureswithoutechoicprompts.

Jacobwilltactatleast5newactionswithoutechoicprompts.

Jacobwillbeabletoidentifyasalistener50newobjectsorpicturesinanarrayofatleast6
items.

Jacobwillbeabletodemonstrateatleast5newactionsoncommandwithoutimitative
prompts.

Jacobwillbeabletomatchnonidenticalobjectsorpicturestoeachotherfor100different
itemsinanarrayofatleast8.

Jacobwillfollow,imitate,orechoapeerwithoutadultpromptsatleast5timesperday.

Jacobwillmandtoapeerwithoutadultpromptsatleast10timesperday.

Jacobwilldemonstrateadecreaseinhisaggressivebehaviortoalevelof75%lessthanhis
currentbaselinefrequency.

Jacobwillsitinacirclegroupofatleast4childrenfor5minuteswithoutemittingnegative
behaviororattemptingtoleavethegroup.

(NotethattheremaybeadditionalgoalsfromotherprofessionalssuchasanSLP,OT,or
adaptivePEteacher.)
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