Week 13 Assessments: ABLLS-R Overview

Week 13 Assessments

• Week 13 assessments cover various tools for evaluating language and learning proficiency in children.

Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R)

• A comprehensive tool for evaluating children's language and learning proficiency.
• Criterion-referenced assessment based on observation of child's skills.
• Ages: birth to 12 years.

Purpose of ABLLS-R

• Identify a child's strengths and weaknesses in communication and learning.
• Develop targeted interventions to promote effective learning and enhance language proficiency based on identified skills.
• The tool aids in understanding a child's current skills.

Section 1: Basic Learner Skills Assessment

• Includes areas like cooperation, visual performance, receptive language, imitation, vocal imitation, requests, labeling, intraverbals, spontaneous vocalizations, syntax and grammar, play, social interaction, group instruction, following classroom routines, and generalized responding.

Section 2: Academic Skills Assessment

• Includes areas like reading, math, writing, and spelling skills.

Section 3: Self-Help Skills

• Includes areas like dressing, eating, grooming, and toileting skills.

Section 4: Motor Skills Assessment

• Includes areas like gross motor and fine motor skills.

Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R) Skill Tracking System

• Educational purposes only.
• This section appears as a table with specific skills/areas tracked and assessed.

Benefits of Using ABLLS-R

• Establishes clear baseline data.
• Tracks progress over time.
• Facilitates individualized education plans (IEPs).
• Empowers educators to tailor strategies to meet individual needs.

Challenges of Using ABLLS-R

• Time constraints.
• Need for training.
• Potential biases in assessment.
• Addressing these challenges is key to maximizing the tool's effectiveness.

Purpose of VB-MAPP

• Evaluate language, learning, and social skills of children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
• Assess current skills, identifying barriers to progress.
• Analyze needs, guide curriculum development.
• Track growth over time.
• Guide individualized education program (IEP) development.

VB-MAPP Milestones Assessment

• Criterion-referenced assessment.
• Ages 0-4, but can be used with language delays at any age.
• Provides a representative sample of a child's current verbal and related skills.
• Contains 170 measurable milestones across three developmental levels (0-18 months, 18-30 months, and 30-48 months).
• Assesses skills in various areas including mand, tact, echoic, intraverbal, listener, motor imitation, independent play, social and social play, visual perception, matching, linguistic structure, group and classroom skills, and early academics.
• Includes the Early Echoic Skills Assessment (EESA) subtest.

VB-MAPP Barriers Assessment

• Assesses 24 common learning and language acquisition barriers in children with autism or other developmental disabilities.
• Identifies specific problems to develop targeted interventions.

VB-MAPP Transition Assessment

• Assesses 18 areas to determine if a child is making progress.
• Provides a measurable way for the IEP team to set priorities and meet the child's educational needs.
• Includes various summary measures and additional transition-related skills.

Milestones Level 1, 2, and 3

• Level 1 (0-18 months): Assesses skills like requesting, labeling, visual perception, matching, and independent play.
• Level 2 (18-30 months): Adds skills like prompted and unprompted conversation, classroom routines, and linguistic structure.
• Level 3 (30-48 months): Includes reading, writing, and mathematics skills.

Barriers Assessment

• Scores of 3 or 4 indicate persistent or severe problems, while 2 or 1 indicate moderate or occasional problems.

Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS)

• Completed by parents, educators, or therapists using observations, interviews, and task performance.
• Includes a progress-tracking grid and teaching guidance.
• Ages 2 years and up.

Purpose of AFLS

• Assess and teach essential skills for independent living.
• Includes practical real-world skills across various settings.

Key Domains of AFLS

• Basic Living Skills (personal care, hygiene, safety, maintaining a clean living environment)
• Home Skills (household management)
• Community Participation Skills (public transportation, shopping, interactions)
• School Skills (schoolwork, listening, following directions)
• Vocational Skills (employment readiness)
• Independent Living Skills (meal prep, money management, emergency situations)
• Social Skills (conversation, social rules, relationships)

Features of AFLS

• Individualized assessment
• Scoring system (level system for skill performance)
• Progress monitoring (tracking over time)
• Practical approach (emphasizes transition to adulthood)

Resources for Purchasing Assessments

• Provides links to purchase assessments (ABLLS-R, VB-MAPP, AFLS, EFL)

Grading Rubric

• Criteria for evaluating a project including the assessment, completion, and accuracy of results. Includes sections on assessment report completion, accuracy of results, and writing quality and formatting.

Essential for Living Assessment (EFL)

• Curriculum-based assessment instrument.
• Designed for children and adults with moderate to severe disabilities.
• Includes core components covering areas like communication, language, daily living, social skills, functional academics, and tolerance of situations, skills are sequenced from must-have to nice-to-have.
• Utilizes the Essential Eight.
• Used with IEPs, ISPs, program plans, and behavior improvement plans.

Functional Independence Skills Handbook (FISH)

• Material for determining a person's ability to perform daily living tasks.
• Assessment tool, and curriculum, with lesson plans for specific tasks.
• Suitable for people with developmental disabilities across the lifespan.
• Organized by seven domains: Adaptive Behavior, Affective, Cognitive, Sensorimotor, Social, Speech and Language, and Vocational Skills.

Challenges of VB-MAPP

• Time needed for administration.
• Skill level of the assessor.
• Potential for mis-representation of autistic needs by comparing autistic individuals to neurotypical norms.

This assessment focuses on the ABLLS-R, a vital tool for evaluating children's language and learning skills from birth to 12 years. It helps identify strengths and weaknesses, enabling tailored interventions to enhance communication and learning. Dive into the various aspects of basic learner skills covered in this assessment.