Skill deficit
A skill deficit exists when a person cannot perform a skill because they have not learned it, so the skill must be taught.
A skill deficit is a gap in a person's repertoire: they do not yet know how to do something, even when motivated and given the opportunity. A child who has never learned to ask for help, a teen who cannot count change, or an adult who has not learned the steps of using a washing machine all have skill deficits in those areas. Skill assessments such as curriculum-based, developmental and social skills assessments are used to identify them.
A skill deficit is different from a performance deficit, in which the person can do the skill but does not do it under certain conditions, often because doing it is not reinforced or the conditions are different. The distinction matters because the solutions differ. A skill deficit calls for teaching, using methods such as prompting, chaining, shaping and discrete-trial or naturalistic teaching. A performance deficit calls for changes to motivation, such as reinforcement for doing the skill.
Skill deficits often play a role in problem behavior. A person who cannot ask for a break may learn that screaming ends a hard task. Teaching a replacement behavior that meets the same need addresses the deficit. The supervisor determines whether a deficit is one of skill or performance; RBTs contribute by recording accurate data on what the client does with and without help.
Example and non-example
| Example | A client is offered a favorite activity for tying their shoes and is given plenty of time and chances, but cannot complete the steps without hand-over-hand help. They have not yet learned the skill. |
|---|---|
| Non-example | A student who completes subtraction worksheets correctly at home but refuses to do them in class shows a performance deficit, not a skill deficit. |
Don't confuse it with
| Replacement behavior | A skill deficit is a skill not yet learned; a replacement behavior is a specific skill taught to serve the same function as problem behavior. |
|---|---|
| Acquisition | A skill deficit is the gap; acquisition is the process of learning a new skill to fill it. |
Test yourself
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Question 1What is the main purpose of a skills assessment in ABA services?
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D: To find which skills the client has and which still need to be taught. A skills assessment identifies a client's skill strengths and deficits. The supervisor uses the results to choose teaching goals and to track progress over time.
- A: Finding why a behavior happens is the purpose of a functional assessment, not a skills assessment.
- B: Finding preferred items is the purpose of a preference assessment.
- C: Diagnosis is made by qualified professionals with diagnostic tools; ABA skills assessments are used to plan teaching.
Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D
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Question 2Why do skills assessments record a client's strengths as well as their deficits?
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B: Strengths show what the client can already do, which teaching can build on. Knowing what a client already does well tells the team where to start teaching and which existing skills can support new ones. Deficits show what still needs to be taught.
- A: Skills the client already has usually do not need to be taught; goals focus on deficits.
- C: What maintains problem behavior is found through functional assessment, not skill strengths.
- D: Reinforcers are identified through preference and reinforcer assessments.
Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D
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Question 3During a skills assessment, a client misses every item about naming colors. The RBT wants to start teaching colors at the next session. What should the RBT do?
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A: Report the results and wait for the supervisor to add any color goals. The supervisor reviews the results and decides which goals to add to the plan. The RBT implements targets only after they are part of the plan.
- B: Starting a new target without the supervisor goes beyond the RBT's role.
- C: Repeating items until the client passes changes the results.
- D: Leaving out data the RBT collected makes the assessment inaccurate.
Task B.2 · 40-hour curriculum section D
Answer every question to see your score.
On the RBT exam
This term belongs to task B.2 Skill assessments in content area B, Behavior Assessment, which is 8 of the 75 scored questions.