Manipulative Imitation

Start date: 8/26/99

End date: 1/29/00

Sd: (tutor builds a structure or shows a structure via picture) Do this, make this, copy this, build this,

Response: Lukas builds replica of model

a.) begin with building a four-block structure (go to three if he finds it too hard). Give the Sd. Lukas has blocks identical to yours and he should build them in an identical structure.

b.) Go up to an eight block structure. Once Lukas has reached this step with the blocks, do it again with other manipulatives to make sure he can do it (duplos, fiddle sticks, bristle blocks, etc.)

c.) Try giving Lukas some control byt letting him build his own and you imitate his.

d.) Get him to generate ideas about what he should build. Do not tell him what to build. Get him to tell you what you will need and how to build it.

e.) You can incorporate this into the Themes program by having Lukas build the item you have just discussed. As always, check for generalization in downtime play.

Target Item	Introduced	Mastered
1. 4 blocks	8/26/99	8/28/99
2. 6 block	9/1/99	Known already
3. 8 blocks	9/4/99	9/9/99
4. 4 lego piece	9/10/99	Known (9/11.99)
5. 6 lego piece	9/11/99	9/14/99
6. 8 lego piece	9/15/99	9/26/99
7. fiddlesticks	9/30/99	10/05/99
8. Novel manipulatives	10/10/99	11/11/99
9. structures during downtime play	10/12/99	10/27/99
10.Lukas generate ideas and you copy	11/22/99	1/29/00

General notes about this program: Mostly, Lukas inability to do this at the start was more

About compliance which means that our reinforcement was not good enough. Again, with Lukas,

It was a snowball effect: once he got the idea , he easily could do more blocks. Some children

Have great difficulty going from 3 blocks to 4 blocks or going from blocks to legos. Some also

Can not go from 3d to 2d (ie, they can copy a 3d structure before them but not one from a picture)

WE bagged going through every possible manipulative at the start of October and instead used downtime

Play to probe and expand. We felt it important that he make not just funky structures like towers

But to make identifiable objects like a bed out of blocks or a car out of legos. We thought we

Would also model and reinforce the idea of copying by having Lukas generate his own ideas and us

Copy (um… who said that ABA is rote). We also had some distractor blocks present (ie, we gave

Him more blocks then he actually needed.) There were times that this program was combined with

Pretend play programs, Instructions program, etc. We had to warn tutors to stop jumping in and correcting him on the legos. Legos were visually harder (smaller pieces) and harder to put together because of

Fine motor issues. If a child has fine motor issues, it is wiser to use duplo blocks over this.

Lukas usually self corrected but the tutors were too eager and would jump in the second he placed

A block wrong. Lukas’ fast paced learning tended to make the tutors even more greedy. J