Just when I thought the ABLLS (Assessment of Basic Language and Learner Skills) could not get any more functional, Sasha created task cards.  If you have not heard of this assessment read all about it here!  For a quick read, it is an “assessment tool, curriculum guide, and skills tracking system used to help guide the instruction of language and critical learner skills for children with autism or other developmental disabilities”   I was struggling in the general education setting with kiddos who needed an assessment tool that looked at skills BEFORE the academic ones.  I knew they did not know letters, numbers and shapes but what came before that?  Furthermore, what was the scaffolding needed to reach those skills? Answer, ABLLS! (*PS- The two manuals you need are only $65.  You would not need to buy the $1000 skills kit that comes with it because Sasha has created everything you need to use the ABLLS here.)

After you dive into the ABLLS, you will see that there are many categories from reading to generalized responding.  Within those categories are rubrics with letters/numbers.  For the sake of a shorter read, I will take you on a close look at a few different ways to use the B5-Match to Sample cards.  What is so great about the task cards is that after you give the assessment and see the exact areas of need for your student, you can print off that task card set and start building skills!  I will be doing a post on using your ABLLS data to utilize the cards in February!

B5 Match to Sample cards range from a field of two all the way to eight.  If you have a student just starting off, you would start with the cards with a field of two until those are mastered.  Say you have a kiddo that is literally just starting to learn how to complete a task like this.  I suggest using a post it to cover up the incorrect choice so that the child learns the purpose of the task (finding the exact match). 

You might also have a student with fine motor difficulties so just pointing to the task card would be the best option for practicing skills.  If you have a student who has difficulty completing work, give them a choice! Which marker color? Do you want to put these fun erasers on the correct answers? Cover them with a colorful post it? Do what you need to! 

This video shows a student completing the task cards for the first time.  If she does not get the answer right, I gently guide her hand to the correct answer modeling out loud. 

If you have a student with more fluent skills, allow them to go through the task cards as is or concentrate on the field number.   You can also use these cards to practice labeling nouns, using them in a sentence, categorizing and so much more!  Check out the cards here! 

Happy ABLLS-ing !