DIMENSIONS GRIDS
Steve Ward, MA, BCBA
Whole Child Consulting, LLC
www.wholechildconsulting.com
http://www.facebook.com/wholechildconsulting
My student can’t/won’t _______, unless:
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“My student can’t/won’t ______,
• …and we have to work on grade level and we have to
work for the 90 minute block and he can’t have any
supports that the other students don’t have.”
If consequences are truly working
• You don’t need to be such an antecedent magician, and
you probably shouldn’t be
• If escape extinction, wait outs, or punishment are truly
working, schools should almost never need them by
Halloween. *Some on-going reactive measures may be
necessary as you continue to “raise your bar”, but it these
should be of minimal duration and of decreasing intrusion.
Reading and group responding
• My student is behind in reading and doesn’t attend well in
group
Your first dimensions grid (simple)
Easier Harder
1:1 or 1:2 Larger groups
Easy content (phonics, easy sight Harder content (blending, rhyming,
words, language) “silent e”)
You might develop 2 separate types of programming
(prescribed dimensions are in bold)
Easier Harder
1:1 or 1:2 Larger group
Easy content (phonics, easy sight Harder content (blending, rhyming,
words, language) “silent e”)
Easier Harder
1:1 or 1:2 Larger group
Easy content (phonics, easy sight Harder content (blending, rhyming,
words, language) “silent e”)
Another simple example of split programming
Easier Harder
Match-to-sample Listener responding (e.g., “give me
____”
No travel required Travel required (walks 10 feet)
Easier Harder
Match-to-sample Listener responding (e.g., “give me
____”
No travel required Travel required (walks 10 feet)
A more complicated example (“Come here”)
Easier Harder
Short distances Long distances
Can see potential reinforcer Cannot see potential reinforcer
Is engaged in activity of modest Is engaged in high-interest activity
interest
Reinforcement for each success Occasional reinforcement
Powerful reinforcer Weak reinforcer
What would you do next? I’d remove the
contract.
Easier Harder
Short distances Long distances
Can see potential reinforcer Cannot see potential reinforcer
Is engaged in activity of modest Is engaged in high-interest activity
interest
Reinforcement for each success Occasional reinforcement
Powerful reinforcer Weak reinforcer
Then, I’d probably start to thin the schedule of reinforcement
Easier Harder
Short distances Long distances
Can see potential reinforcer Cannot see potential reinforcer
Is engaged in activity of modest Is engaged in high-interest activity
interest
Reinforcement for each success Occasional reinforcement
Powerful reinforcer Weak reinforcer
Speaking with sufficient volume
Easier Harder
With an echoic prompt Without an echoic prompt
With recent prompts and/or Without recent prompts and/or
reinforcement reinforcement
With easy material (confident) With harder material (less confident)
With familiar people With less familiar people
With one person With a group of people
In a mand context Speaking for uninteresting reasons
In case you’re not familiar
Meet Alex-at intake, in April, 2015, Alex:
-was 9 and had received ABA programming for 6 yrs.
-loved drawing, painting, blocks, and especially Legos. He
was extremely rigid and controlling with these activities.
-was capable of manding “help” and manding attention, but
did each infrequently
-was usually cooperative with Heidi, as long as she taught
the way he liked
-DEMANDED confirmation of accuracy
-was intolerant of corrections
Dimensions Grid for correction tolerance
Easier Harder
Task completed with at least 90% A lot of errors made
accuracy
Thick reinforcement for tolerance of Little/no reinforcement for tolerance of
corrections corrections
Efficient progress following Full correction procedure (inefficient
correction for student)
Calm, positive teacher attitude Disappointed, frustrated, or cold
teacher attitude
Do you remember the first slides (i.e., “My student
can’t/won’t _____ unless…”)?
• Dimensions Grids are also relevant to the other end of
training (i.e., mastery).
• So, having seen Alex’s first video and first Dimensions
Grid for tolerating corrections, would you say our job is
done? Has he mastered tolerance of corrections?
Dimensions Grid for correction tolerance (Bold for
Phase 2)
Easier Harder
Task completed with at least 90% A lot of errors made
accuracy
Thick reinforcement for tolerance of Little/no reinforcement for tolerance
corrections of corrections
Efficient progress following Full correction procedure
correction
Calm, positive teacher attitude Disappointed, frustrated, or cold
teacher attitude
Dimensions Grid for correction tolerance (Bold for
Phase 3)
Easier Harder
Task completed with at least 90% A lot of errors made
accuracy
Thick reinforcement for tolerance of Little/no reinforcement for tolerance
corrections of corrections
Efficient progress following correction Full correction procedure (less
efficient)
Calm, positive teacher attitude Disappointed, frustrated, or cold
teacher attitude
Credit Heidi
Aggressive Behavior Episodes
300
250
200
Count and minutes
150 frequency
duration (minutes)
100
50
0
24-Apr May June July August September
Calendar months
What would you like to target?
Easier Harder
