The Boston ABCS Test Kit

The Boston Assessment of Behavioral Core Skills is a criterion-based assessment developed to assess children with Autism. Rather than comparing children to others, the Boston ABCS compares children to themselves in order to measure their progress. 

 

The Boston ABCS begins with a preference assessment consisting of parent report, child report (when possible), and a free operant observation of the child's preferences. If potential reinforcers are not identified, a multiple stimulus preference assessment with replacement is conducted. 

 

Seven domains are evaluated: Executive Functioning, Verbal, Visual Spatial & Fine Motor, Social/Leisure, Reading, Writing, and Math. All materials necessary to administer the assessment are standardized and included in  the test kit.  

 

Samples of the child's language are collected throughout the evaluation and analyzed according to Skinner's Analysis of Verbal Behavior. A partial interval behavior observation is conducted throughout the assessment to obtain a baseline of behavior to reduce.

 

The Boston ABCS was developed over the course of twenty years of evaluation of children with Autism and other developmental challenges. It was originally developed to test children in Boston who did not have access to specialized developmental assessments. The standardization of the instrument is now complete and the technical manual, which will include estimates of reliability and validity, will be published in 2024.