The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program

The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program: VB-MAPP An Overview of the Assessment Meredith Geier, M. S. BCBA Steven Celmer, M. A. BCBA

Back to Basics What is our goal as educators? � With any student there are four stages in education ◦ Determine where the student is ◦ Determine where the student needs to go ◦ Teach the student ◦ Check to see if you made it

Watch out!! � The failure to conduct an appropriate assessment results in one of the biggest problems in educational programs: An inappropriate curriculum! (Duh, duh!) That was meant to sound ominous

What is the VB-MAPP? � The A skills assessment students based on assessment alsofor analyzes students' Skinner’s language analysis of verbal behavior (1957) common and learning barriers � It The assessment looks at students' evaluates the student's ability to learn in a development typical language and learning less restrictiveofeducational environment milestones (through age 4) across verbal through a transition assessment components Finally, it provides a developmentally appropriate curriculum sequence for the student once the assessment has been done

Language and Learning Milestones � So, what are these milestones? ◦ There are 170 milestones across 3 different learning levels � 0 -18 months (Level 1) � 18 -30 months (Level 2) � 30 -48 months (Level 3) ◦ These milestones are developmentally matched across these learning levels Page 4

Language and Learning Milestones � Across these developmental levels, there are 16 skills that are assessed Hi! Elementary verbal components (mand, tact, intraverbal, echoic, listener) Beginning academic skills Independent play, Social play Group and Classroom skills Visual perceptual skills and Matching-to-Sample Grammatical and Syntactical skills

Language and Learning Barriers � For While it’s important what a student some students, to theknow focus of an can do – it’s program also important to know what a educational may not be academic student can’t do well so removing a achievement, butasmore particular persistent learning barrier � Sometimes the elimination of a single barrier can improve multiple academic skills Page 5

Language and Learning Barriers � The assessment analyzes 24 barriers to learning ? ? Behavior Problems Instructional Control Weak Motivation Impaired Verbal Components Failure to Generalize

Transition Assessment � No Analyzes skills needed to increase singlethe skill on this assessment is athe single probability that the student determiner of success, but can the successfully collective learn from a less settingand body of skills canrestrictive help educators parents make educational decisions Page 30

Transition Assessment � This assessment looks at various items such as: Reinforcer Range Ability to Complete Independent Work General Self-Help Skills Rate of Acquisition Eating and Toileting Skills

Task Analysis (Curriculum Guide) � The Whiletask theanalysis milestones form can allows be considered for more the detailed floors of skills a building, tracking the task analysis can be said to be the steps in between those floors It also works to build a complete repertoire and not just individual skills Page 35

Conclusion � The VB-MAPP has a variety of tools to help in many areas of education: ◦ Skills Assessment, ◦ Learning Barriers Assessment, ◦ IEP Goal Selection, ◦ Program Placement Decisions, ◦ Curriculum Development