VB-MAPP to Selecting Goals and Objectives Amy Cohen, Ph.D, BCBA Maigret Fay, M.Ed, BCBA Julie Smith, MA, BCBA

Elements of Appropriate Goals Individualized Functional Observable Measurable Reasonable/Acheivable Do-able

IEP Priorities Communication Social and Play Skills All verbal operants should be well developed Social and Play Skills Behavioral Functioning/Self-regulation/Independence in group settings Learning Readiness: imitation, listener responding, visual perceptual/matching skills, early academics

Using the VB-MAPP to set goals Identify general level of the student- level 1,2, or 3 Use the milestones and barriers assessment to identify areas of strength and challenge Determine if there are special strengths in one area that can be a benefit to other areas, or a particular weakness that can be addressed e.g., strong motor imitation but weak echoic skills=> sign language? e.g., strong echoic skills but no manding

Using the VB-MAPP to set goals Look for balance across all of the skill areas for each level If out of balance what skills need to be addressed to better balance the profile?

Focus areas for level 1 students Establishing 6 basic language and related skills: Mands Echoics Motor imitation Listener discriminations Tacts Visual perceptual/matching skills

Other focus areas for level 1 students Play and socialization Spontaneous vocalizations Fine/gross motor skills and self help skills, as appropriate ** level 1 learners may benefit from more intensive teaching opportunities

Focus areas for level 2 students Systematically expanding language and learning skills Expanding size and scope of mand, tact, and listener repetoires Developing multi-component verbal and nonverbal responses Beginning responding by feature, function and class Beginning interverbal skills Developing social and verbal interactions with peers Group and classroom skills Learning in less restrictive settings

Other focus areas for level 2 students Fine/gross motor Independence Self-care/toileting ** level 2 learners may benefit gradually increased exposure to less structured teaching ** beware of the danger of moving on too quickly for level 2 students, rather than strengthening/ expanding their skill repetoire

Focus areas for level 3 students Expanding context of what student talks about Expanding sentence size (introducing adjectives, prepositions, pronouns, adverb) More complex manding Teaching intraverbal behavior Socially appropriate behavior Increasing the frequency and complexity of peer and social interactions Learning in group teaching formats Beginning academic skills

Other focus areas for level 3 students Fine/gross motor Self-help Independence Safety Reduction of behavior problems ** full inclusion and socialization play are more important for level 3 students, as they are more likely to benefit from the preschool classroom environment

Goals: Number and timeframe 1 year time frame Repeated administration of the VB-MAPP can help determine reasonable expected growth in that time frame

Making the goal specific Use the VB-MAPP manual to aid in the goal writing process Chapters 8,9,10 focus on sample goals for each level Task analyses can help with breaking skills down into component parts for objective writing

Team Activity Each team will receive 2 sample VB-MAPP milestone assessments For each student: Describe profile in terms of strengths, weaknesses, general level and overall balance Prioritize goal areas Write at least 3 goals for each student