PRECURSORY FORM

Place a (+) to indicate mastered behaviors, (+/-) for emerging behaviors, and (-) for
absent behaviors.

CONTENT
Object Search
1. Gaze at moving object

+, +/-, - Comment/s
+

Visually tracking an objects movement

2. Gaze at moving object and search for appearance

Look after an object after it disappears

3. Partially hidden

Gaze at a moving object that is partially hidden

4. Entirely hidden

Gaze at a moving object that is then entirely hidden

5. Visibly displaced

Watch as the object is being hidden

6. Invisibly displaced

Look for an object behind an obstacle as it was hidden

without the childs knowledge

7. Search actively during play

Search for an object that was focus of attention during free

play

8. Search actively to relate to another object

Search for an object to relate to another object

Disappearance
1. Drop objects inside and cover the box
2. Hide under a screen
3. Hide several objects in one place
4. Several objects in different places
Action on object
1. Attend to adult manipulation of objects
2. Imitate object specific action

+
+
+

Imitate with few familiar objects

3. Limited repertoire
Appropriate actions with few familiar objects without an
immediately prior model

4. Wide repertoire
Appropriate actions more frequently with a wider variety of
familiar objects

Object-to-object relation
1. Separate object

e.g. take nesting blocks apart, take peg out of seesaw

2. Join objects, as presented

e.g. putting nesting blocks together, put peg people back in
seesaw

3. Join objects, non-specific way

e.g. put peg people in nesting blocks

4. Join objects, specific way

Join objects in relation not just seen. e.g. feeding doll with
spoon

FORM
Imitation
1. Copies of child motor behavior

Imitate body movements of an behavior

2. Copies of child vocal behavior

Imitate vocalizations of an adult

3. New behaviors that can be observed on self

Imitate vocalizations or body movements that child can see

on himself

4. New behaviors that cannot be observed on self

Imitate new models that child has not made and child cannot
see himself/herself (tongue side to side)

Approximating adult linguistic forms

1. Reduplicated CV sequences

e.g. adada dada

2. Non-reduplicated sequences

e.g. bada beda bipo

3. Non-segmental features
Produce suprasegmantal feature of adult model

Use
Gazing interpersonally

Frequent exchanges of gaze (e.g. smiling, touching, feeding

and vocalizing)

Focusing using joint attention

Focus on an object when directed by gesture, vocalization,

and gaze shift of another

Taking turns

Partake in one or two routine sequences (e.g. peek-a-boo,

give-and-take, book reading) and eventually take either role

Making reference
1. Show object
2. Give object
3. Point object
4. Point object while vocalizing

+
+
+
+

Regulating
1. Reach toward

perhaps with fretting sounds

2. Reach for object and vocalize

While gazing toward the person holding the object

3. Gesture to request help

With gazing toward the adult and vocalizing

4. Gesture to request action

e.g. to be picked up

5. Protest or reject an object or action

With gesture and vocalization

Adapted from Laheys Precursory Skills