1. Welcome to the ABLLS-R/VBMAPP Overview Class!!!
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We will begin at 3:30
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2. VB-MAPP Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program

3. What is it??? Developed by Dr. Mark Sundberg
Based on the B.F. Skinner’s functional analysis of language/verbal behavior
A criterion-referenced assessment
Designed to provide a representative sample of a child’s existing verbal and related skills
170 Milestones from 16 skill areas over 3 Developmental levels (0-18, 18-30, months)
Also includes:
Barriers Assessment
Transition Assessment
Task Analysis
Placement & Writing IEP Goals

4. For whom is this appropriate?
Students with language delays that significantly impact their learning
Young children
Students with moderate to severe learning impairments
Individuals with developmental language abilities at or below 48 months. (4 years)

5. Who can give this test?
The assessment uses verbal behavior terms so it is important for the tester to have a functional understanding of behavioral principles, VB, basic linguistic structure, etc.
But it doesn’t have to be an SLP…
And it doesn’t have to be just one person.
After reviewing this assessment, do you feel you have the skills necessary to administer this assessment?

6. What is it good for?
Ascertaining developmental language abilities and needs
Documentation of student progress over time
Identifying factors that may hinder a child’s progress
Highlighting factors for consideration in determining least restrictive environment
“The VB-MAPP Milestones Assessment is designed to identify the existing language and related skills for children with autism and other developmental disabilities” (p15).

7. What does it measure? 16 Milestones – Levels 1, 2, & 3 Mands Tacts
Intraverbals
Echoics
Motor Imitation
Reading (Textual Behavior)
Spelling (Transcription)
Listener Responding
Listener Responding by Function, Feature, and Class (LRFFC)
Visual Perceptual/Match to Sample (VP-MTS)
Independent Play
Social Behavior & Social play
Spontaneous Vocal Behavior
Classroom Routines & Group Skills
Linguistic Structure
Math
Review each area – from the study guide

8. How do I give this test?
Each item should be administered using the procedures laid out in the guide. (see codes above)
Formal administration of test items
Direct observation of child
Interviews with parents and others who know the child well
Can be done over several sessions
There are no time limits for completing the whole assessment
The parent can be present during the assessment
Formal testing and observations can be conducted in a classroom, home or community.
See the Tips for the Tester on pg 19 & 20

9. Materials
A list of suggested materials is presented on pages 21 & 22 of the guide.
You can find most all of the materials needed in a preschool classroom.
We also have the ABLLS kit in each district that contains a number of useful materials.
From your study guides we saw that there would be a need to get Child-specific reinforcers, pictures of family members and most people did not have access to an Environmental Sounds activity.
We have assessment kits in the district, but you can also find a lot of the materials in your room.
Materials linking guide (website)
Materials powerpoint (website)

10. Milestones Assessment
170 Measurable learning & language Milestones
3 Developmental Levels
0-18 months
18-30 months
30-48 months
Pages give an overview of the 16 Milestones Areas – you reviewed them with the study guide.
Share comments regarding skills in Levels 1, 2, 3 from what was observed while completing the study guide.

11. Milestones Assessment Scoring
Assign a score of 0, ½, 1 based on criteria given in the guide
If a skill is obviously too easy for a child it can be marked without thorough testing.
If a student misses 3 skills in a row it is reasonable to stop testing in that area.
Scores are recorded for each item and for the whole section in the protocol and transferred onto the Master Scoring Form

12. There is room for up to 4 assessments on this form
Use a different color for each administration
The circle below each section is used to indicate that the skill was tested but that the child didn’t receive any points for that section
Pg 23 Sample

13. Early Echoic Skills Assessment (EESA) by Barbara Esch
Anyone can administer this subtest, but an SLP may obtain the most optimal results
Ask the child to repeat each test item
Enter the appropriate point score
1 point – all sounds are correct
.5 point - if echoic response is recognizable but incorrect consonants, missing consonants or extra syllables
0 points – no response, incorrect vowels, deleted syllables
Give up to 3 trials, scoring the best response

14. BARRIERS ASSESSMENT
Identifies factors which may be impeding a child’s progress towards learning and language acquisition.
24 factors, described with scoring instructions beginning on page 99 of your manual
Identified factors can be directly addressed through learning objectives, etc.
“Once a specific barrier has been identified, a more detailed descriptive and/or functional analysis of that problem is required.”
You all looked at the 24 areas with your study guide – any comments/questions?
You all looked at the 24 areas. Any comments
Failure to make conditional discriminations – yikes – lots of mumbo jumbo -- wear a coat, but today it is hot, so don’t wear a coat but refuses – just can’t handle that or isnt attending to the subtle differences in a request. So use to doing something in a rote way that it is hard to break out of.

15. Barriers Assessment Scoring
Assign a score from 0 to 4 based on criteria identified for each barrier.
Transfer scores from each barrier to the Barriers Assessment Scoring Form
So we would want to focus on those areas that are high – barriers – and need to be reduced – over time we would like to see the barriers reduced.

16. Sample Barriers Assessment
A score of 1 suggests that an occasional problem exists and should be monitored.
A score of 2 suggests that a moderate problem exists and further analysis and possibly an intervention program should be considered.
A score of 3 indicates that a persistent problem exists and is in need of a behavioral analysis and formal intervention program.
A score of 4 indicates a severe problem exists and there is a need for analysis and formal intervention.
Sample pg 101

17. TRANSITION ASSESSMENT
There are 18 measurable areas identified on that can help educators and parents make decisions and set priorities.
Looks at 3 main categories of performance (p128)
VB-MAPP scores and academic independence
Learning patterns
Self-help, spontaneity, and self-directions
Does not attempt to determine placement for a child, repeatedly states that this is the responsibility of the IEP team
In general, higher scores indicate a greater potential for success and independence in a less restrictive environment
“The general goal is to base the decision on the child’s ability to learn and make meaningful progress in the chosen setting” (146).
“The purpose of the Transition Assessment is to provide those making decisions with data about the child that might assist in the process” (146).

18. Transition Assessment Scoring
Assign a score from 0-5 based on criteria identified for each item
Some scores come from the Milestones or Barriers assessment
Transfer scores from each item to the Transition Scoring Form

19. Sample Transition Assessment
“The results from the three categories should be weighed differently” (146).
Decisions are the sole responsibility of the child’s IEP Team
In general if a child scores:
0-2 may need more individualized & intense teaching sessions, higher teacher/student ration
4-5 may benefit from a classroom with lower teacher/student ratios, teaching format closer to that used for typically developing children, but still uses behavioral methodology

20. Task Analysis Located in the Protocol
It is not a required piece of the assessment
Broken down into the same 3 developmental areas
Presented in the same color as each area of the Milestones assessment
Contains approximately 900 skills covering 16 areas of the VB-MAPP
Gives a breakdown for most of the milestones being assessed in Levels 1, 2, & 3
Serves as an ongoing learning and language skills curriculum guide

21. Interpreting the Results
"The results of the Milestones Assessment, the Barriers Assessment, and the Transition Assessment provide a comprehensive overview of the child and can be used to design an individualized intervention program.  These three assessments identify what skills a child needs to acquire, and what language and learning barriers need to be reduced or removed in order to move the child forward" (Guide p147). 

22. Three steps are shared when interpreting the VB-MAPP results.
First, you need to identify the general level of the child.
Second, you need to analyze the scores in each of the skill areas and their relation to the child’s performance in other areas. You should look for strengths and weaknesses.
The third step is to look for a balance across all of the skills areas for each level.

23. Interpreting the Results
Chapters 8, 9 & 10 provide information on how to interpret the results and use them to:
Determine the general level of the child
Look for strengths and weakness
Look for balance across skill areas
Determine appropriate teaching style
Determine intensity of the intervention
Write IEP goals
“By identifying milestones, the focus of the intervention program can be sharper and the direction clearer, making it easier to write IEP goals” (26). What do you think?

24. VBMAPP Sample Level 1 Profile
Focus primarily on:
Establishing mands, echoics, motor imitation, listener discriminations, tacts and visual perceptual and matching skills.
Play & Social Skills
Spontaneous Vocalizations
More intensive teaching format may be recommended
Common profile for many young children with language delays – Pg 148

25. VBMAPP Sample Level 2 Profile
Still an early learner but beginning to show some solid learning and language skills
Focus primarily on expanding the skills they have in a variety of ways
Teaching style should still primarily consist of intensive teaching format. NET and less structured teaching methods should be gradually introduced
Common profile for many young children with language delays – Pg 148

26. VBMAPP Sample Level 3 Profile
Demonstrating a solid foundation of skills
Allows for more advanced language, social and academic instruction
Intervention should focus on expanding, teaching and generalizing a variety of skills
Common profile for many young children with language delays – Pg 148

27. Tips & Tricks to Share Located on the website
New 240 Word List
Intraverbal Subtest
Verb list
VBMAPP Ipad App – some of you looked at that resource.
Projects the Autism Teacher Leaders are workign on

28. Reflection Comments Positives Negatives/Challenges
gives good information once you get it
Includes tools to look at behavior and transitions
Negatives/Challenges
Criteria is not in the protocol
Cumbersome – sometimes hard to understand
Have to come up with lists of words to check for

29. How are they Similar & How are they Different???
ABLLS-R vs VB-MAPP
How are they Similar &
How are they Different???

30. A BRIEF HISTORY
Teaching Verbal Behavior to the Developmentally Disabled
(1990)
Dr. Mark Sundberg
Assessment of Basic
Language and Learning Skills (ABLLS)
(1998)
Dr. Mark Sundberg & Dr. James Partington
Assessment of Basic
Language and Learning Skills-Revised
(ABLLS-R)
(2006)
Dr. James Partington
Verbal Behavior Milestones
Assessment and Placement Program
(VB-MAPP)
(2008)
Dr. Mark Sundberg

31. SIMILARITIES Authors who have partnered closely together
Both focus strongly on assessment of verbal operant skills, with other skills assessed on an almost secondary basis
Both measure multiple facets of language
Both are criterion-referenced assessments
Both are assessed through observation, interview and direct administration of test items.
Both have partial mastery options for specific skills

32. SIMILARITIES (cont.)
Both include graph formats for charting a child’s progress
Both are designed to be administered periodically (often annually but does not have to be) to a single child and change over time noted on the original graph
Both contain one protocol and one guide.
Both are copyrighted.

33. DIFFERENCES VB-MAPP has 170 milestones across 16 skill areas
ABLLS-R has close to 500 individual skills assessed over 25 areas
VB-MAPP addresses developmental milestones
ABLLS-R addresses discrete skills
VB-MAPP presents milestones in a hierarchical manner
ABLLS-R presents some skills in a developmental hierarchy but not all
VB-MAPP allows you to stop administering items is student is not able to complete 3 sequential skills
ABLLS-R all test items should be administered or considered

34. DIFFERENCES (cont.)
VB-MAPP scoring criteria must be referenced in the manual
ABLLS-R scoring criteria is right on the form
VB-MAPP includes the barriers and transition assessments
ABLLS-R does not, though does look at some of the equivalent components of these assessments
VB-MAPP includes specific echoics to test, but does not list out other specific items
ABLLS-R has assessment items lists in the appendices
VB-MAPP presents IEP development guidelines
ABLLS-R presents criteria in a way that can be fairly easily translated to measureable instructional objectives for IEPs

35. Assignment
Additional Resources Reflection 10 pts (on website, brief summary of at least 2 resources)
Final Reflection 10 pts (on website – compare & contrast the two tools, which do you think you would use, do you see any strengths or weaknesses to the tools, etc.)
Final Test 20 pts – will be sent Monday June 3rd and should be sent in by Friday June 7th.
Due Date is June 7th for all of these items.

36. Webpage
Password: autism