Dorothea C. Lerman, Christina Vorndran, Laura Addison, & Stephanie A. C. Kuhn (2004).
A rapid assessment of skills in young children with autism.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
37, 11-26.
Educational interventions based on the
principles of behavior analysis are highly effective for establishing skills in young children with
autism. As a first step in program development, the child’s current skill level is determined by
evaluating performance on tasks drawn from a preestablished curriculum. However, few specific
guidelines have been delineated for conducting these skills assessments or interpreting the results. In
this study, we evaluated an efficient methodology for conducting skills assessments. Six children
who had been diagnosed with autism participated. The relative efficacy of two assessment packages-
–one containing several reinforcement procedures and one containing several potentially effective
prompts–was evaluated across two to three skills for each child using multiple baseline and reversal
designs. Results suggested that the methodology was useful for matching targeted skills to
appropriate interventions.
DESCRIPTORS: autism, differential reinforcement, instructional strategies, noncompliance, skills
assessment