Conducting different types of assessments with children with autism is common and very important in assisting the behavior analyst in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the child’s performance. Assessment is usually conducted at the outset of introducing the therapy team to the child and this is after a couple of sessions of building rapport with the child and taking general data while observing the child’s behavior in playing, communication skills and different skill areas. Parents/guardians are notified when the assessment takes place as at this point in time the child is ready to be assessed. Various assessment types have been implemented with children such as standardized VB-MAPP, ABLLS-R, and ESDM. 

The behavior analyst decides the appropriate type of assessment according to the child’s age group, general abilities and environmental considerations. The number of assessment sessions varies and depends on multiple factors such as how much information was collected through a parent intake interview, observation, and collaboration of the child. Assessing the child’s abilities is an ongoing process that reoccurs preferably every six months and some are annually implemented.