skills-assessment-general

name	skills-assessment-general
description	Use when selecting the right assessment tool for a learner — covers decision frameworks for VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, AFLS, EFL, and PEAK, plus cross-assessment comparison, ecological assessment, and curriculum-based approaches.

Skills Assessment Selection and Comparison Guide

Purpose

This skill provides a decision framework for BCBAs selecting among available skills-based assessment tools. No single instrument is appropriate for every learner. The choice depends on the individual's age, developmental level, verbal repertoire, service setting, treatment priorities, and the severity and nature of their skill deficits.

Decision Framework

Step 1: Determine the Individual's Developmental and Chronological Age

Profile	Primary Assessment	Supplement With
Chronological age 0-8, developmental age 0-4	VB-MAPP	ABLLS-R for detailed programming
Chronological age 2-12, developmental age 1-6	ABLLS-R	VB-MAPP for barriers and transition
Chronological age 8+, developmental age 4+	AFLS (relevant modules)	VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R for language areas if still deficient
Any age, severe/profound intellectual disability	EFL (Essentials for Living)	AFLS for functional skills that are within reach
Any age, focus on derived relational responding	PEAK (relevant module)	VB-MAPP or ABLLS-R for direct verbal operant assessment

Step 2: Identify the Service Setting and Priorities

Setting	Priority Focus	Recommended Tool(s)
Early intervention (0-3)	Language acquisition, early learning	VB-MAPP
Center-based ABA (3-8)	Comprehensive skill building	VB-MAPP + ABLLS-R
School-based services	Academic readiness, classroom behavior, IEP goals	VB-MAPP (transition assessment), ABLLS-R (academic areas)
Home-based services	Daily living, family routines, communication	ABLLS-R (self-help), AFLS (basic living)
Transition services (14-22)	Independence, vocational, community	AFLS (all modules)
Adult services	Vocational, independent living, community	AFLS + EFL (if severe)
Residential programs	Daily living, safety, independence	AFLS (basic living, home, community)

Step 3: Consider the Verbal Repertoire

Verbal Level	Assessment Implication
Pre-verbal / early echoic	VB-MAPP Level 1, ABLLS-R Areas A-E, EFL if severe
Emerging mands and tacts (10-50 items)	VB-MAPP Levels 1-2, ABLLS-R Areas F-G
Functional verbal repertoire (sentences, conversation)	VB-MAPP Level 3, ABLLS-R Areas H-J, PEAK for advanced verbal
Verbal but significant comprehension gaps	PEAK (especially Equivalence and Transformation modules)
Non-vocal communicator (AAC, sign, PECS)	Any tool — adapt administration for communication modality

Comprehensive Assessment Comparison

VB-MAPP (Sundberg, 2008)

Attribute	Detail
Structure	170 milestones, 3 levels, 16 domains + barriers + transition
Age range	Developmental age 0-48 months
Theoretical basis	Skinner's Verbal Behavior (1957), developmental milestones
Strengths	Clear developmental sequence, barriers assessment identifies obstacles, transition assessment informs placement, widely used and researched
Limitations	Ceiling at 48-month level, milestones can be too broad for detailed programming, limited self-help and daily living
Best for	Developmental snapshot, placement decisions, barrier identification, early learners
Time to administer	2-4 hours (initial), 1-2 hours (reassessment)

ABLLS-R (Partington, 2006)

Attribute	Detail
Structure	544 skills, 25 areas, task-analyzed
Age range	Developmental age approximately 1-7 years
Theoretical basis	ABA principles, verbal behavior, task analysis
Strengths	Fine-grained task analysis for direct programming, doubles as curriculum, excellent for tracking incremental progress, comprehensive skill areas including self-help
Limitations	No developmental levels, no barriers assessment, no transition component, can be time-consuming to complete fully
Best for	Detailed program writing, tracking small increments of progress, curriculum planning
Time to administer	3-8 hours (initial), 2-4 hours (reassessment)

AFLS (Partington & Mueller, 2012)

Attribute	Detail
Structure	6 modules (~395 total skills), task-analyzed
Age range	Developmental age 4+ through adulthood
Theoretical basis	ABA principles, functional independence, community-based instruction
Strengths	Only comprehensive ABA assessment for functional living skills, modular (use only the modules you need), directly relevant to independence outcomes, lifespan perspective
Limitations	Not designed for early language learners, limited verbal behavior assessment, requires natural environment access for valid administration
Best for	Adolescents, adults, transition planning, community-based goals, vocational programming
Time to administer	2-4 hours per module

Essentials for Living (EFL; McGreevy, Fry, & Cornwall, 2012)

Attribute	Detail
Structure	~2,600 skills across 8 broad domains
Age range	Any age, designed for individuals with moderate to profound intellectual disability
Theoretical basis	ABA, emphasis on essential functional skills and quality of life
Domains	Communication, daily living, tolerating, functional academics, leisure, community participation, work, health and safety

Key Features:

• Prioritizes essential skills — those that, if the individual cannot perform them, someone else must do for them
• "Tolerating" domain is unique — assesses ability to tolerate common life situations (waiting, changes in routine, medical procedures, being told "no")
• Includes a priority assessment that identifies the skills most critical for the individual's quality of life and caregiver burden reduction
• Designed for individuals who may not progress through traditional early learner curricula

| Strengths | Only assessment designed for severe/profound populations, emphasizes quality of life, prioritization system reduces the overwhelming number of potential targets | | Limitations | Very large (2,600+ items), requires significant time, not widely used outside specialized programs, limited research base compared to VB-MAPP | | Best for | Individuals with severe/profound disabilities, group home settings, reducing caregiver burden, quality-of-life-focused programming |

PEAK Relational Training System (Dixon, 2014-2016)

Attribute	Detail
Structure	4 modules, 184 programs per module (736 total)
Theoretical basis	Relational Frame Theory (RFT; Hayes, Barnes-Holmes, & Roche, 2001) + Skinner's Verbal Behavior

Four Modules:

Module	Focus	Key Skills
Direct Training (DT)	Basic skills parallel to VB-MAPP/ABLLS-R	Manding, tacting, echoic, imitation, matching, listener responding
Generalization (G)	Transfer and generalization of trained skills	Multiple exemplar training, novel contexts, generalized responding
Equivalence (E)	Stimulus equivalence and derived relations	If A=B and B=C, derive A=C without direct training. Critical for reading comprehension and advanced language.
Transformation (T)	Transformation of stimulus function	Derived relational responding, analogies, metaphor, perspective-taking, problem-solving

| Strengths | Addresses advanced cognitive-verbal skills not covered by other assessments, RFT basis provides framework for derived relational responding, fills the gap between basic operant training and complex language | | Limitations | Newer with a smaller but growing research base, can be conceptually complex for staff to implement, DT module overlaps significantly with VB-MAPP and ABLLS-R | | Best for | Learners who have mastered basic verbal operants but show deficits in generalization, reading comprehension, abstract reasoning, or perspective-taking |

Combining Assessments

Common Combinations

Learner Profile	Assessment Combination	Rationale
Young child, new to ABA	VB-MAPP + ABLLS-R	VB-MAPP for developmental snapshot and barriers; ABLLS-R for detailed programming
School-age, moderate deficits	VB-MAPP Level 3 + AFLS School Skills + ABLLS-R academics	Capture verbal, academic, and functional skill levels
Adolescent in transition	AFLS (all modules) + VB-MAPP barriers	AFLS for independence goals; barriers assessment to identify persistent learning obstacles
Adult, severe disability	EFL + AFLS Basic Living	EFL for priority essential skills; AFLS for functional programming
Advanced learner, language plateau	PEAK (E + T) + VB-MAPP Level 3	PEAK addresses derived relational responding not captured by VB-MAPP

Avoid Redundancy

When combining assessments, skip domains that overlap directly. For example, if using both VB-MAPP and ABLLS-R, you do not need to administer both mand sections — use VB-MAPP for milestones and ABLLS-R for detailed task analysis of the mand repertoire.

Curriculum-Based Assessment

Beyond standardized tools, curriculum-based assessment (CBA) involves:

1. Task analyzing the curriculum being used with the learner (e.g., a specific reading program, a social skills curriculum, a vocational training sequence)
2. Probing each step in the curriculum to identify where the learner is performing independently
3. Identifying the instructional level — the point at which the learner can perform with minimal prompting
4. Setting goals based on the next steps in the curriculum sequence

CBA is useful when:

• The learner is already in a structured curriculum and you need to find their current level
• Standardized assessments do not cover the specific domain being taught
• You need rapid, ongoing assessment tied directly to daily instruction

Ecological Assessment

Ecological assessment evaluates the individual in the context of their actual environments and the demands of those environments.

Procedure:

1. Identify target environments (home, school, workplace, community settings)
2. Inventory the skills required in each environment (what does a same-age, typically developing individual do in this setting?)
3. Observe the individual in each environment
4. Discrepancy analysis: Compare required skills to the individual's current repertoire
5. Prioritize discrepancies based on safety, independence, social inclusion, and caregiver priorities
6. Develop intervention that teaches skills in the context where they are needed

Ecological assessment is essential for:

• Transition planning (what skills does the individual need for the next environment?)
• Community-based instruction (what does this grocery store, bus route, or workplace require?)
• Ensuring social validity of treatment goals (are we teaching skills the individual and family actually need?)

Assessment Selection Checklist

• Considered chronological and developmental age
• Identified the primary service setting and treatment priorities
• Evaluated the individual's current verbal repertoire
• Selected the assessment tool(s) that best match the learner profile
• Checked for overlap if using multiple tools — eliminated redundancy
• Planned for ecological assessment of target environments
• Identified who will administer each assessment component (BCBA, RBT with supervision, caregiver)
• Scheduled sufficient time for valid administration (not rushed)
• Planned reassessment timeline
• Confirmed assessment results will directly inform treatment/IEP goals

Key References

• Sundberg, M. L. (2008). VB-MAPP: Verbal Behavior Milestones Assessment and Placement Program. AVB Press.
• Partington, J. W. (2006). The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills — Revised (ABLLS-R). Behavior Analysts, Inc.
• Partington, J. W., & Mueller, M. M. (2012). The Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS). Behavior Analysts, Inc.
• McGreevy, P., Fry, T., & Cornwall, C. (2012). Essentials for Living. Patrick McGreevy.
• Dixon, M. R. (2014). PEAK Relational Training System: Direct Training Module. Shawnee Scientific Press.
• Dixon, M. R. (2015). PEAK Relational Training System: Generalization Module. Shawnee Scientific Press.
• Dixon, M. R. (2016). PEAK Relational Training System: Equivalence Module. Shawnee Scientific Press.
• Hayes, S. C., Barnes-Holmes, D., & Roche, B. (2001). Relational Frame Theory: A Post-Skinnerian Account of Human Language and Cognition. Springer.
• Browder, D. M. (2001). Curriculum and Assessment for Students with Moderate and Severe Disabilities. Guilford Press.