Two broad assessment and curriculum frameworks dominate clinical ABA programming for individuals with autism and developmental disabilities: developmental assessments, which organize skill targets along normative developmental trajectories, and function-based assessments, which organize skill targets according to the behavioral function they serve in the individual's natural environment. Understanding the conceptual foundations, clinical applications, and appropriate transitions between these frameworks is a core competency for BCBAs designing individualized ABA programs.
Provider: BehaviorLive — via Data Makes the Difference
Take This Course →Including ethics, supervision, and topics like this one. New live CEU every Wednesday.
Join Free →Using EFL and VB-MAPP as examples of each type of assessment/curriculum, we will explore when it may be time to move on from developmental programming to a more function-based program. We will discuss why each of these assessments/curricula are beneficial in their own right, the benefits of each one, and what a program, based on each one, might look like. We will discuss how to have that important conversation about changing from a developmental to a function-based assessment/curriculum with staff and also with parents, who may not be so keen on making the switch Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to Know the difference between a developmental assessment and a function-based assessment/curriculumState the ideal age groups that the author of each assessment/curriculum recommends for his assessment/curriculum. Understand why both EFL and VB-MAPP are beneficial assessments/curricula in their own rightUnderstand the difference in programming from a developmental versus a function-based assessment/curriculum Understand the emotions that may come into play when making the transition from one type of assessment/curricula to another, and have some strategies for dealing with them
| Certification Body | Credits | Type |
|---|---|---|
| BACB® | 1 | General |
Liz has been a Board Certified Behavior Analyst since 2008. Liz and her husband, Steve are also parents of two young adults. Their oldest child, Sarah, is now 27 years old and was diagnosed with autism in 1998. Liz has not only had experience being a mother to a child with autism, but has spent close to 15 years providing consultation to teachers in Pennsylvania on Applied Behavior Analysis and Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior.Liz and Steve created the company DataMTD which produces the VB-MAPP App for Dr. Mark Sundberg, as well as the EFL App for Dr. Patrick McGreevy and Troy Fry. Together, Steve and Liz, have created a company that not only provides electronic apps but also provides online and onsite training on these amazing assessments as well as training on basic Applied Behavior Analysis principles and procedures.Liz is passionate about training people on the science of Applied Behavior Analysis in a non intimidating way, and helping people who work and live with children and adults with autism understand how the science can not only make their children’s’ lives better but also their own.
Side-by-side comparison with a clinical decision framework
Research-backed educational guide for behavior analysts
Research-backed answers to common clinical questions
All behavior-analytic intervention is individualized. The information on this page is for educational purposes and does not constitute clinical advice. Treatment decisions should be informed by the best available published research, individualized assessment, and obtained with the informed consent of the client or their legal guardian. Behavior analysts are responsible for practicing within the boundaries of their competence and adhering to the BACB Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts.