INTRODUCTION TO THE ABLLS-RAssessment of Basic Language and Learner Skills- Revised
A DESCRIPTION OF THE ABLLS-R
The ABLLS-R assesses 25 Domains within 4 Areas:
Language Skills – Cooperation and Reinforcer Effectiveness, Visual Performance, Receptive Language, Vocal Imitation, Requests, Labelling, Intraverbal, Spontaneous Language.
Academic Skills – Play and Leisure, Social Interaction, Group Instruction, Group Instruction, Classroom Routines, Generalized Responding, Reading, Math, Writing, Spelling.
Motor Skills – Imitation, Gross Motor, Fine Motor
Self Help – Dressing, Eating, Grooming, Toileting.
PURPOSE
“… to identify those language and other critical skills that are in need of intervention in order for a child to become more capable of learning from his everyday environment.”
To provide a measure of other important skills such as academic, motor skills and self-help skills.
RATIONALE
Skills acquisition for students with ASD is different than typical students.
Goals can be based on the student’s ability level
Teaching a few critical skills can increase the student’s ability to acquire new skills without specialized teaching conditions.
Students learn how to learn!
ADVANTAGES
Emphasis on function over structure Motivation Variety of skills measured (language,
academics, self-help, motor skills) Measures generalization of skills Tracks skills over time – easily referenced Provides specific information for teaching
objectives.
DISADVANTAGES
Skills are not compared to the learner’s age group - age norms not provided.
Those administering the assessment should have a fundamental understanding of verbal behaviour.
UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE ABLLS-RAssessment of Basic Language and Learner Skills-
Revised
LANGUAGE - STRUCTURE VS. FUNCTION
Skinner’s analysis of verbal behaviour serves at the conceptual basis of the ABLLS-R assessment.
Most assessments measure WHAT words the student uses to communicate (structure).
Skinner also looks at WHY the student communicates (function).
MOTIVATION
What motivational conditions affect the student’s ability to demonstrate skills?
Does the student’s ability to demonstrate the skill change under a variety of motivating conditions?
Does the student respond to social reinforcement?
COMPLEX STIMULI
Can the student attend to a variety of combined stimuli?
Verbal and visual
Language in the natural environment (Skinner’s analysis).
GENERALIZATION
Does the student demonstrate these skills across various environments?
With different instructors? Parents? Peers?
Are the skills functional when they are needed, especially language skills?
FLUENCY
Can the student USE the skills quickly when necessary?
In a variety of contexts?
What’s important about responding in a timely fashion?
JOINT ATTENTION
Does the student share attention to actions, objects or situations with others?
Critical to the acquisition of other more complex social skills.
LEARNER READINESS
Is the student willing to be taught?
Does the student respond to social reinforcement?
Intermittent reinforcement?
Can the student attend to learning materials, follow instructions and respond in a timely manner?
SOCIAL SKILLS
Does the student notice peers?
Does the student interact with peers?
Does the student learn from peers?
BASIC LEARNER SKILLSAssessment of Basic Language and Learner Skills- Revised
BASIC LEARNER SKILLS Cooperation and Reinforcer Effectiveness Visual Performance Receptive Language Motor Imitation Vocal Imitation Requests Labelling Intraverbals Spontaneous Vocalizations Syntax and Grammar Play and Leisure Social Interaction Group Instruction Classroom Routines Generalized Responding
BASIC LEARNER SKILLS
“…15 important skill areas that appear to be critical in order to learn from everyday experiences.”
382 items
70% of the assessment
Why are such simple skills so important?
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Why is the skill area important? What other skill areas might a deficit in this area
affect? How might it impact behaviour?
What questions do you have about the skill area?
LARGE GROUP SHARING
Share with the large group what you discussed around each of the skill areas
BARRIERS TO LEARNINGVB-MAPP (SUNDBERG, 2008)
Skill Deficits in the following areas have been identified as creating barriers to learning
Poor, absent or weak repertoires in: Requesting Receptive/ expressive labelling Motor imitation Echolic skills Matching to samples Listener repertoires Intraverbal Social behaviour
BARRIERS TO LEARNINGVB-MAPP (SUNDBERG, 2008)
Negative behaviours Instructional control Prompt dependent Defective scanning skills Failure to make conditional discriminations Failure to generalize Weak or atypical motivators Response weakens motivation Reinforcement dependent Self stimulation Obsessive-compulsive disorder Hyperactivity Failure to make eye contact, or attend to people Sensory defensiveness
COMPLETING THE INITIAL ASSESSMENTAssessment of Basic Language and Learner Skills- Revised
WHO CAN COMPLETE THE ASSESSMENT
A Professional who has knowledge of the Protocol and who has direct contact with the student on a regular basis.
Has a background in conducting and interpreting assessments.
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
Informally Over a period of several weeks Scored on the skills tracking grid Provides information about the strengths and
weaknesses Allows the teacher to identify any missing
skills that may interfere with a student’s ability to acquire new skills effectively
INITIAL ASSESSMENT
The initial assessment may be completed in several steps
Review the assessment and identify the areas where the student clearly meets the criteria for the highest score on an item (ie. score of 2 or 4) Has not demonstrated skills in that area
Identify areas where the level of the student’s skills are in question
Gather information from other professionals, team members, parents
Observe the student demonstrating the skills
INFORMATION SOURCES
Information from parents, the school team and other professionals familiar with the student.
Direct observation of the student in a variety of situations.
Formal presentation of tasks by the assessor.
SCORING THE ASSESSMENT
Information that is provided must accurate, not a guess.
Scores are based on what skills the student consistently demonstrates at present.
NOT: Skills demonstrated in the past, but no longer
consistently observed. Emerging skills.
It is better to underestimate a student’s skill level.
TRANSFER RESULTS TO TRACKING GRIDS
The open circles to the left of the grid should be colored in for items that were tested but for which the student scored 0 on the initial assessment
The assessment date may reflect the time period in which the assessment is completed, for example instead of an assessment DATE, the month and year in which the assessment was completed may be used
UPDATING THE ASSESSMENT
IS MUCH EASIER THAN THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT because it takes less time
If a student remained at the same level as the initial assessment, the same number should be circled on the appropriate line of the update
When transferring updated information to the tracking grid, using different colors provides easy visual identification of the student’s progress
TIPS FROM THE TRENCHES
SMALL GROUP ACTIVITY
Choose at least one assessment area and do the initial scoring for one of the students in your class.
Take into account the criteria for a mastered skill
SCORING THE ASSESSMENT
Information that is provided must accurate, not a guess.
Scores are based on what skills the student consistently demonstrates at present.
NOT: Skills demonstrated in the past, but no longer
consistently observed. Emerging skills.
It is better to underestimate a student’s skill level.
DEVELOPING IPP GOALS FROM THE ASSESSMENTAssessment of Basic Language and Learner Skills- Revised
INTENSIVE TEACHING1:1 teaching interactions
ELEMENTS OF GOOD TEACHING INTERACTIONS
Teaching environment is paired with reinforcement.
Goals are appropriate to the student’s skill level, small and achievable.
Goals are clear to the student and the teacher.
New skills are introduced with appropriate levels of prompting to support learner success.
Prompts are effectively faded. New skills are interspersed with mastered
skills to support the learner and decrease avoidance behaviours.
PROMPTING
Physical Prompt – hand over hand or some type of physical contact to cue the skill.
Verbal Prompt – a spoken cue (ie. “what do you want?)
Echoic prompt – modeling the exact verbal response which the child can then echo.
Imitative prompt – modelling Gestural prompt – Demonstrating the
response (ie. Pointing to a picture).
NATURAL ENVIRONMENT TEACHINGTeaching throughout the classroom and throughout the day
GROUP TEACHING INTERACTIONSSmall group teaching
ZIPPEDY DOO
A6 – The student will work for instructor controlled reinforcement.
C1 – Responds to own name D5 – Imitation of hand and arm movements D17 – Imitation of speed of action D20 – Imitation of a motor sequence
THE LITTLE OLD LADY BOOK
A10 – scans items in an array B3 – match identical objects to sample C5 – Follow instructions to touch common
objects in various positions C8 – Follow instructions to give named non-
reinforcing items. C10 – touch item vs. distractor C15 – touch own body parts C37 – select by function
THE LITTLE OLD LADY BOOK
D1 – Motor Imitation with objects D4 – Imitation, leg and foot movements D5 – Imitation, leg and foot movements E3 – Imitation, initial sounds of words G6 – Labels pieces of clothing G7 – Labels ongoing actions H1 – Fill in words from songs H7 – Intraverbal Associations
ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE GROUP TEACHING INTERACTIONS
What are some of the elements that make a good group teaching interaction?
Mix and vary skills Provide adequate prompting Have clear goals Pair the teaching environment with access to
reinforcement. Limit ‘wait time’ by interspersing turn taking
activities with imitations or group activities. Try to adjust goals in addition to adjusting
prompt levels.
ELEMENTS OF EFFECTIVE GROUP TEACHING INTERACTIONS
What is the role of the teacher in a group?
What is the role of the Educational Assistant?
How can the two work as a team?
Using the ABLLS-R to inform programming