The following are brief descriptions of assessments that may be recommended for your child. Please contact us if you would like additional information regarding these or other assessments. These assessments may be conducted as part of our intake process. There are multiple purposes of the initial assessment 1) To discern levels of individual functioning; 2) to determine functional programming areas of need (e.g., functional communication, self-help); 3) to determine the level of maladaptive behavior in the child's repertoire and to target more appropriate functional behavior to replace it.

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

The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (The ABLLS) developed by James Partington, Ph.D. and Mark Sundberg, Ph.D., is an assessment, curriculum guide, and skills tracking system for children with developmental disabilities. The ABLLS-R contains a task analysis of the many pre-requisite and requisite skills necessary to communicate successfully and to learn from the natural occurring environment. The ABLLS-R is comprised of two entities. The first is the Basic Learners Skills Protocol, which is used to assess children across communicative, behavioral, functional, and pre-academic/academic skills. The second is the ABLLS-R IEP Development Guide with criterion referenced information regarding a child's current skills and a curriculum that can serve as a basis for the selection of educational objectives. The ABLLS-R Protocol also provides a graphic representation of a skills tracking system that makes it possible to observe and document the child's progress in the acquisition of critical skills. Assessment sections include: Attention/Cooperation, Visual Performance, Receptive Language, Imitation, Gross and Fine Motor Skills, Vocal Imitation, Requests (Manding), Labeling (Tacting), Intraverbals (Conversation), Spontaneous Vocalizations, Grammar/Syntax, Play, and Social Interaction. Academic skills such as Reading, Math, Writing, Spelling, Group Instruction and Classroom Routines are also measured. Adaptive daily living and self-help skills, such as Dressing, Eating, Grooming, and Toileting, are assessed as well.

Brigance Diagnostic Inventory of Early Development (Revised)

The Brigance, developed by Albert H. Brigance and a trademark of Curriculum Associates, Inc. (1991, 1978), provides developmental age equivalencies based on the presence or absence of particular skills in comprehensive developmental sections. The Brigance provides a graphic profile on progress in these areas. The age equivalencies are based on chronological age norms of typically developing children. The following developmental areas are assessed: Pre-ambulatory Motor Skills and Behaviors, Gross Motor Skills and Behaviors, Fine Motor Skills and Behaviors, Self-Help Skills, Speech and Language Skills, General Knowledge and Comprehension, Social and Emotional Development, Basic Reading Skills, Manuscript Writing, and Basic Math. The Brigance is included for use in the initial ongoing individual progress assessment to provide age equivalencies for specific areas of need.

Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS)

The Childhood Autism Rating was developed by Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH). It's a 15-item behavior rating scale to identify children with autism. It helps to distinguish children suspected of having autism from developmentally disabled children who do not have autism (for children over 2 years of age).

Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (The VB-MAPP)

The Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program (The VB-MAPP) developed by Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., is an assessment tool based on B.F. Skinner's (1957) analysis of verbal behavior, typical language development milestones, and field-test data from typically developing children, as well as children with autism. The VB-MAPP is designed to easily identify the current skills for a child with autism across the verbal operants, including the listener repertoires and social behavior repertoires. The VB-MAPP Skills Assessment contains 165 verbal behavior milestones balanced across 3 developmental levels (0-18 months, 18-30 months, and 30-48 months) and 16 different skill areas.  There are also three sub-tests contained in the Skills Assessment. The second component of the assessment is the VB-MAPP Skills Task Analysis, which provides a further breakdown of each of the 16 different skills in the form of a checklist for specific tracking. The third part is the VB-MAPP Barriers Assessment, which provides an analysis and assessment of 21 common language and learning barriers faced by children with autism. The final component is the VB-MAPP IEP Goals, which correspond with the milestones and barriers assessment.