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I would like to make it very clear that reading this series DOES NOT replace formal training on the ABLLS-R and that anyone using the ABLLS-R should read the companion guide as well prior to using the assessment. Here is the link for purchasing the ABLLS-R and/or Companion Guide Additionally, what you will find below is all based on my OWN experience. As far as I know there is limited to no research to support my suggestions. I made theses suggestions and provided these explanations based on my experience with how clients acquired skills and what worked best for my purposes. Always remember to invdividualize programming for your child/client and consult the research. The information that I am sharing here is to provide a basic skeleton for people who are not familiar with the sections of the ABLLS. Hopefully after reading this series you will have a better understanding of what skills are targeted in each section of the ABLLS, how to combine goals when possible, and what the typical progression of skills is like for children on the spectrum. "Typical" progression means that typically the skills are easier when done in this order however this is not always true. For instance, sometimes you will have a child who is highly verbal but does not listen well so it is easier to teach them expressive tasks first then receptive.  If any providers/parents who read this blog have suggestions on other ways to combine/target/organize goals, please do share 

ABLLS-R Section C – Receptive Language

Focus: The focus in this area is on developing the child’s ability to follow directions and identify things receptively.

Skill Progression: follow instructions to do preferred activities follow instructions to touch common items follow instructions in routine situations select objects/select pictures/identify body parts/identify clothing discriminate instructions/follow gaze/follow hand signals/follow instructions to go to person select adjectives/select associations/select feature/select function/select class/demonstrate actions with objects  selecting 2 items/select community helpers/select environmental sounds select items from larger picture/selecting items based on specific characteristics/two step instructions  select prepositions/select pronouns/select emotions/select non-examples/select same 

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When/How to target: most of the programs in this section need to be targeted formally. Most of these programs won’t be targeted until the child has mastered a few goals in section B. When first starting with a child you will target C3 – attending to a reinforcing item. You will also target following instructions to do preferred activities and touch common items before targeting the rest of the goals. For this area, you will move through the goals mostly in the order given. Sometimes will we introduce the feature, function, class sections earlier so that the child can learn to sort  and start doing them expressively but the child needs to be ready for this. You also typically don’t want to target C9 doing simple motor action until the child has mastered a few imitation items. This is so that you know the child can actual do the actions. If you have a child that has shown the actions in the natural environment you might start with naturally occurring instructions prior to mastery of a few imitation targets. Prior to implementing a goal make sure that it there isn’t a similar one in section B that you should be implementing first.

Goals that can be combined: 

• C2/C6/C7 – Both of these target following instructions during activities. One is doing the preferred activity within context and one targets doing out of context and the last one targets following instructions during a routine. For this you would have 2 columns and show mastery in and out of context. You would also start with preferred activities then move to routines. For routines you wouldn’t target out of context.
• C3 is often combined with A3 in an attending program.
• C4/C5 – these both target touching an item. One is a reinforcing item and the other is common item. For this program you only have the item and you say “touch” You should start with reinforcing items then move to non-reinforcing items.
• C10/11/12/13/14 – these all deal with selecting items. The goals start with selecting reinforcing items and then moves to common objects and pictures. These can be combined such that you have columns for mastery of picture and object. Then you would target reinforcing items in isolation then with distracters then common items in isolation and with distracters. Use the same items you used for matching. You may be able to probe this goal for some children.
• C15/C21 – these both target body parts. One is touching body parts on self and one is on others or in pictures. IF the child is advanced enough you can teach them body parts on self and others at the same time. Have a column for mastery of both.
• C27/28/29/30 – these all deal with going to a person and some other criteria. Each of the goals can be targeted in one program.