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TheVerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessmentand

PlacementProgram(TheVBMAPP):FieldTestData
fromTypicalChildrenandChildrenwithAutism

Chair:MarkL.Sundberg
Presenters:MarkL.Sundberg&LisaHale
MikeMiklos
WilliamA.Galbraith

TheVBMAPP:AnOverviewandFieldTestData
fromCalifornia,Indiana,andOregon

MarkL.Sundberg,CarlT.Sundberg&LisaHale,

TheRootsofa
VerbalBehaviorAssessment

Skinnersanalysisofverbalbehavior(1957)
Happy50thAnniversary!
JackMichael,teacherofSkinnersanalysisofverbalbehavior
(startingin1955)
JosephSpradlin,applicationstothedevelopmentallydisabled
TheParsonsLanguageSample(1963)

ThePurposeofaLanguageAssessment

ThePurposeofaLanguageAssessment

ThePurposeofaLanguageAssessment

ThePurposeofaLanguageAssessment

ThePurposeofaLanguageAssessment

Determinetheoperantlevelofachildsverbal(andrelated)skills
Comparetotypicallanguagedevelopmentdata
Identifylanguageacquisitionandlearningbarriers
Ifandwheretobeginintervention(placement)
EstablishIEPgoals
Designanindividualizedcurriculum/interventionprogram
Teachingstrategies(e.g.,AC,DTTNET,inclusion,inhome)
Istheinterventionprogramworking?Whyorwhynot?
Atooltodemonstratelearning,trackprogress,makechanges,
provideoutcomemeasures

BehavioralLanguageAssessment

Theverbaloperantisthefunctionalunit(formandfunction)
Environmentalvariablesareviewedastherelevantsourcesof
controlforverbalresponses,ratherthancognitiveorbiological
variables
Eachverbaloperantinvolvesseparatesourcesofcontrol
(independentvariables),thuseachmustbeassessed
Mostverbalresponsesareundermultiplesourcesofcontrol
Morecomplexverbalbehavioriscomprisedofvarious
combinationsoftheverbaloperants
Speakerandlistenerasseparaterepertoires
Criterionreferencedassessment

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPP

BasedonSkinners(1957)analysisofverbalbehavior
Basedontypicallanguagedevelopmentmilestones
By identifying milestones, as opposed to a task analysis of
individual skills, the focus can be sharper, and the direction clearer
Fieldtestdatafromapproximately60typicallydevelopingchildren
Fieldtestdatafromover100childrenwithautism
Thebodyofempiricalresearchthatprovidesthefoundationof
BehaviorAnalysis
EmpiricalresearchonSkinnersanalysisofverbalbehavior

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPP

TherearefourcomponentsoftheVBMAPP
TheVBMAPP:SkillsAssessmentcontains165verbalbehavior
milestonesacross3developmentallevels(018mos.,1830mos.,30
48mos.),and16differentverbaloperantsandrelatedskills
TheVBMAPP:SkillsTaskAnalysisprovidesafurtherbreakdown
ofthe16differentskillareasintheformofachecklistforskills
tracking
TheVBMAPP:BarriersAssessmentexamines22commonlearning
andlanguagebarriersfacedbychildrenwithautism
TheVBMAPP:IEPGoalsprovidesover200IEPobjectivesdirectly
linkedtotheskillsandbarriersassessments,andverbalbehavior
interventionprogram(Sundberg,inpreparation)

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPPSkillsAssessment

The assessment is designed to identify the childs existing language


and related skills
An assessment should probe a representative sample of a repertoire
Typical verbal milestones can provide the frame for the sample
Typical verbal milestones can help to avoid focusing on only minor
steps
Typical verbal milestones can help to avoid targeting skills for
intervention that are developmentally inappropriate
IEP goals can match the milestones, not individual skills

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPPSkillsAssessment

The 16 skills assessed on the VB-MAPP include:


The elementary verbal operants (e.g., echoic, imitation, mand, tact,
intraverbal)
The listener skills
Vocal output
Play and social skills
Visualperceptualskills,andmatchingtosample
Grammaticalandsyntacticalskills
Groupandclassroomskills
Beginning academic skills

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPPSkillsAssessment

The milestones are broken into three developmental levels


Level 1: 0-18 months
Level 2: 18-30 months
Level 3: 30-48 months
Thescoresforeachskillareapproximatelybalancedacrosseach
level
Thereare5itemsand5possiblepointsforeachskillarea

VBMAPPLevel1:Tact

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPPBarriersAssessment

Itisimportanttofindoutwhatachildcando(TheVBMAPPSkills
Assessment),butalsoimportanttoknowwhattheycantdo,andanalyzewhy
theycantdoit
The VBMAPPBarriersAssessment is a tool that is designed to identify and
score 22 different learning and language acquisition barriers
Once a specific barrier has been identified, a more detailed descriptive and/or
functional analysis of that problem is required
There are many ways that a verbal repertoire or related skill can become
defective, and an individualized analysis will be necessary to determine what the
nature of the problem is for a specific child, and what intervention program
might be appropriate

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPPBarriersAssessment

CommonLearningandLanguageAcquisitionBarriers

Instructionalcontrol(Escape/avoidance)
Behaviorproblems
Defectivemand
Defectivetact
Defectivemotorimitation
Defectiveechoic(e.g.,echolalia)
Defectivematchingtosample

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPPBarriersAssessment

CommonLearningandLanguageAcquisitionBarriers

Defectivelistenerrepertoires(e.g.,LD,LRFFC)
Defectiveintraverbal
Defectiveplayandsocialskills
Promptdependent,longlatencies
Scrollingresponses
Defectivescanningskills
Failuretomakeconditionaldiscriminations(CDs)
Failuretogeneralize

VerbalBehaviorMilestonesAssessment
andPlacementProgram:
TheVBMAPPBarriersAssessment

CommonLearningandLanguageAcquisitionBarriers

WeakoratypicalMOs
ResponserequirementsweakenstheMO
Selfstimulation
Articulationproblems
Obsessivecompulsivebehavior
Reinforcementdependent
Doesnotattendtopeople/materials

ThankYou!
Foranelectronicversionofthis
presentationgoto:
www.marksundberg.com

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