Initiation Statements

Goal: The student will appropriately initiate play instead of engaging in negative behavior.

Instructional Procedure:
• Show the student a specific visual. Give a verbal model. The student should repeat your verbal model.
• Prime/Pre-teach and then role play: Tell the student, “When I play with this, you can say ____” (+ point to the
visual)
• Sd: “Let’s practice getting my attention”
• Give the student the visual and engage in play (or have the student engage in play).
• If the student says what’s on the visual, give behavior specific praise
• Systematically fade the visual and the amount of pre-teaching/priming

Error Correction Procedure: (*Note: Data is not collected during this procedure)
• If the student doesn’t say the initiation statement, turn back around silently, point to the visual and wait 5
seconds.
• If the student says the statement after your point prompt, then give behavior specific praise and try again
• If the student still does not say the statement, provide a full verbal model and then try again
• Differentially reinforce trials with the least amount of prompting
• Systematically fade the visual and the amount of pre-teaching/priming

Teaching Steps:
*Teach 2 phrases at a time to avoid over-generalization of one phrase
*Maintain previously learned responses

1. Teach receptive and expressive identification of phrases in a discrete trial format

a. Receptive – 3-5 phrases out “Show me_____”
b. Expressive – “What does this say?”
2. Role play approaching with Phrase 1 and Phrase 2 (NOTE: steps a-c can be taught within one session or across
multiple sessions)
a. With prompts – any of: Text cue + gesture/point to cue + verbal model
b. With text cue only
c. No prompts
3. Phrase 3 and Phrase 4 – Steps a-c
4. Randomly Rotate (RR) Steps 1-4 with visuals present for practice
5. Phrase 5 and Phrase 6 – Steps a-c
6. Randomly Rotate (RR) Steps 1-6 with visuals present for practice
7. Etc.

Data Collection: Use either of the following:

1. Trial-by-trial data (page 3) – each time the student responds, record it as either a correct response (responded
at the current prompt level) or an incorrect response (needed additional prompting, or errored at specific
prompt level)
Mastery Criteria: 1-2 sessions at 80%, move to next teaching step

2. Rating Scale Data (page 4) – Use the rating scale to mark the student’s performance each session.
Mastery Criteria: 2 consecutive sessions at ‘5’ with peers and novel questions

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Program Developed by: How to ABA
 Initiation Statements
Targets: (teach 2 at a time to prevent over-generalization)

Target Response Date Introduced Date Mastered

1. Hey look at this
2. What’s that?
3. Look at this. It’s a ___
4. What are you doing?
5. I remember _____
6. I have that at home.
7. I like that
8. Hi
9. Cool _____
10. Wow. That’s awesome.
11. Look. I am ____ing.
12. Look what I am doing.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.

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Program Developed by: How to ABA
 Initiation Statements
Teaching Steps:
1. Teach receptive and expressive identification of phrases in a discrete trial format
a. Receptive – 3-5 phrases out “Show me_____”
b. Expressive – “What does this say?”
2. Role play approaching with Phrase 1 and Phrase 2 (NOTE: steps a-c can be taught within one session or across
multiple sessions)
a. With prompts – any of: Text cue + gesture/point to cue + verbal model
b. With text cue only
c. No prompts
3. Phrase 3 and Phrase 4 – Steps a-c
4. Randomly Rotate (RR) Steps 1-4 with visuals present for practice
5. Phrase 5 and Phrase 6 – Steps a-c
6. Randomly Rotate (RR) Steps 1-6 with visuals present for practice ETC.
Date/IT:

100
90
80
70
Percentage

60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Teaching Step:
Trial 1 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 2 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 3 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 4 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 5 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 6 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 7 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 8 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 9 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
Trial 10 Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N N
**Randomly rotate phrases (instead of doing 5 trials of one phrase and then 5 trials of the other phrase) – data is just laid
out this way so that it’s easier to see a trend

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Program Developed by: How to ABA

Rating Scale Data (0-5):
0 – Resistant to teaching
1 – 90-100% prompted
2 – prompted most of the time
Initiation Statements
3 – prompted some of the time 5 – 100% independent
4 – 1st trial prompted, the rest
independent

Target Phrase
Date:

Hey look at this 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5

4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
What’s that 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

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Program Developed by: How to ABA
 Initiation Statements

Hey look at this.

Look at this. It’s a _____

I remember ______ I have that at home.

I like that _____ Hi.

Cool _____ Wow. That’s awesome.

Look I am ________ Look what I am doing.

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Program Developed by: How to ABA
 Initiation Statements

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Program Developed by: How to ABA