Go back to your observation chart and pick one of the behaviors that you’d like to see more of. Or just choose something simple that you would like to teach your child.

Write down all the steps, or individual parts of the behavior or skill you want to teach. Be as detailed as you can. Pick the behavior from the list that seems like it would be easiest to teach, or pick the one that seems the most important for success overall. Write this down in the form of a tag point. Be sure to start back far enough that it is something the child can already do, so he’s guaranteed a tag the first time.

Say to your child “the tag point is..” (even if he’s non-verbal) and tag when he does it.

For example. Say you wanted him write the letter A. First he would need to come to the table and sit and hold a pencil. If he can’t do any of things, you will have to break it down until you find something he can do, that will lead up to the goal behavior. At first this might just be to glance at the work table, then take a step toward it.

If your child can come and sit and pick up a pencil, you could start with “the tag point is pick up the pencil”.

Whatever the child can do, start with that and build on it.

Use the WOOF Planning and Tracking Sheet to plan and track your teaching. There is a completed example and a blank in the homework sheets file. Make as many copies as you like of these. This will form a valuable record of your progress. Circle the step you are working on. It could be that you need more than one tag point to accomplish a single step in the list, but you will work on only one tag point at a time.

If it turns out that what you wrote down as one step, actually requires four steps, just make the original one step the Goal Behavior and then list the four steps and start from there.

When you have decided on your first tag point, evaluate it against the WOOF criteria and check off all four boxes. Refine the tag point until it meets all four WOOF criteria.

Practice with your child for 10 tags. Keep track of the number your child gets correct, using the tracking sheet. If your child doesn’t get a tag three times in a row, make an easier tag point.

When you have decided on your first tag point, practice with your child for 10 tags. Keep track of the number your child gets correct, using the tracking sheet. If your child doesn’t get a tag three times in a row, make an easier tag point.

When your child gets 8/10 correct, take a break and figure out the next tag point. Try that one.

Repeat until you have done 3 tag points if it seems appropriate. If your child is starting to show signs of fatigue or anxiety stop. If your child has a great success and you have already done a few trials, stop, take a play break and then go back to the teaching.

You may have to stay on one tag point for several trials, or you may move to the next tag point after only one trial. You may have to go back to a completed tag point if the child has trouble in a future session.

You could do several trials in one session, in one day, or spread out over several days. Do whatever works best for you and your child.

Whatever you do, be sure to KEEP TRACK! This will be a valuable record to share with your child’s behavior professionals and it will be something you can look back on if you ever feel that you are not making progress. You’ll see the progress right there on the sheet and you’ll know that you and your child can do this!