Glossary

ABC Chart – A data sheet used to track and analyze challenging behaviors. A= antecedent B= behavior C= consequence

Acquisition Skill – A skill that is being taught.  This is a skill that the client does not currently possess.

Apraxia of Speech Disorder– Difficulty carrying out purposeful, voluntary movement sequences of speech in the absence of paralysis or weakness of speech musculature

Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) – ABA involves analyzing and modifying human behavior.  The term “Behavior Modification” is synonymous with ABA.  Analyzing human behavior involves identifying a functional relationship between one’s behavior and the environment in order to understand why someone is behaving in a particular way.  Modifying behavior refers to applying a set of behavioral principles and techniques to effectively change another person’s behavior.

Applied Verbal Behavior (AVB) – A sub-specialty of ABA developed by B.F. Skinner.  AVB focuses on teaching across all categories of language.

Articulation/Speech Disorder– Unable to produce age appropriate sounds

ABLLS-R (Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills)– Assessment, curriculum guide, and skills tracking system for children with language delays developed by James W. Partington, Ph.D. and Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D

Baseline – An experienced team of therapists works with the client to probe all skill areas on the ABLLS curriculum. This begins when the client enrolls and takes approximately 30 days.  The goal of establishing the ABLLS baseline is to determine what skills the child had before attending Partners and to determine a starting point for his/her programming.

Chaining – The process in which each step of a sequence is taught individually and then each step is chained together to achieve the complex task that is being taught.  The steps can either be forward or backward chained.

Discriminative Stimulus (Sd) – An Sd is the instruction given to the client. It may be verbal or non-verbal.

Example: “Clap your hands” (child claps hands)
What is your mom’s name?” (Child responds “Sally”)
A red stoplight (driver stops car)

Example: Therapist Client
“Cracker” ? “Cracker”
“Cat” ? “Cat”

Example: Therapist Client
“Twinkle, twinkle little” ? “star”
“What is your name?” ? “Sam”

Errorless Teaching – A procedure used to minimize learner errors so the client remains successful.  When presenting a demand, the therapist follows it with an immediate prompt to get a correct response from the client.  The prompts are then faded to teach the client to demonstrate the correct response independently.

Expressive Language – Communication of one’s ideas, desires, or intentions to others, usually through speech or printed words but may also include gestures, sign language, use of a communication board, and other forms of expression.

Expressive Language Disorder– Unable to form meaningful messages using age appropriate grammar or work finding difficulties.

Extinction – A behavioral principle in which the reinforcing consequence for a target behavior is eliminated which results in a decrease in the frequency of the behavior.  If the child is trying to escape a demand, the therapist or parent will follow through with the demand.  If the child is trying to gain attention, the behavior would be ignored.

Feature, Function and Class (FFCs) – Teaching clients about FFCs teaches them to identify the object by its features (quality of an object), its function (purpose), or the class (category: food, clothes etc.).  The goal of teaching FFCs is to help the child be able to participate in conversations.  It allows them to talk about the object rather than just labeling it

Feeding and Swallowing Disorder– Difficulties swallowing liquids or food

Fine Motor Skills–  Use of small muscle groups for precise movements.

Fluency Disorder– Deviations in continuity, smoothness, rhythm and/or effort with which sounds, words, sentences are spoken

Follow Through – To continue with a demand placed on the client.  Once a demand has been placed, it is imperative that the adult follows through to establish instructor control.  Without consistent follow through, the child will learn that he/she can pick and choose which demands to follow.

Gross Motor Skills– The ability to use large muscle groups that coordinate body movements involved in activities such as walking, running, jumping, throwing and maintaining balance.

Intensive Table Teaching (ITT) – Programs that are taught in the client’s room sitting at a table.

Intraverbals – A response to something a person says which relates to an item, action or property that is not present.

 Gross Motor Skills– The ability to use large muscle groups that coordinate body movements involved in activities such as walking, running, jumping, throwing and maintaining balance.

Intensive Table Teaching (ITT) – Programs that are taught in the client’s room sitting at a table.

Intraverbals – A response to something a person says which relates to an item, action or property that is not present.

Look What I Did (LWID) – A form used by the therapists to communicate information regarding the client’s daily activities to the client’s parents.

Mands – Requests, asking for items or information.

Examples: mand for item “cookie” or “I want cookie”
mand for information “where is the ball?”

Mastered Skills – A skill that has met mastery criteria and can be demonstrated across multiple stimuli, people, and environments.

Mastery – When a client demonstrates a skill independently and across multiple environments. The typical mastery criteria is that a client must answer correctly three consecutive days in a row over two different therapists.

Motor Imitation – Physical movements that are copied from a model.

Motor Planning or “Praxis”– The ability to plan, initiate and execute a motor action.

Natural Environment Teaching (NET) – Involves generalizing skills acquired in ITT, as well as teaching new skills and appropriate play by using the activities of interest to the client in the natural environment.

Occupational Therapy– Occupational Therapy involves the therapeutic use of work, self-care, and play activities to increase independent function and enhance development

Oral Motor Disorder– Difficulties with muscle function and/or motor planning that affect the individual’s ability to eat, drink or speak

Pairing or Pairing with Reinforcement – The therapist associates him/herself and the teaching environment with the availability of high rates of positive reinforcement through access to desired items and/or activities. The goal is for the client to see the center as a fun place to be and the therapist as the person who delivers good things.

Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) – A communication system using pictures to allow the client to indicate his/her wants and needs.

Probe Data – Data taken once at the beginning of every day for each program target to document if client’s response was correct or incorrect.

Programs – Clients work on various programs within the ABLLS or supplemental programs developed by the therapist. Within each program, the client must learn a number of targets to meet criteria for mastery.

Proprioceptive System– The unconscious perception of movement and spatial orientation arising from stimuli within the body itself.

Prompt – A prompt is something given to the client to increase the likelihood of a correct response. There are several types of prompts including: full or partial physical (physically helping the client to complete the task), model (the client observes the therapist demonstrating the behavior), gesture (indicate the item requested by pointing), and verbal (the therapist provides a vocal prompt).